Collierville basketball hires former Tennessee State assistant Erik Buggs as coach
TL;DR
Collierville High School has appointed Erik Buggs, a former Tennessee State assistant, as the new boys basketball coach. He replaces Jarvis Stephen, who had a 21-37 record over two seasons.
Key points
- Collierville High School hires Erik Buggs as boys basketball coach
- Buggs is a former assistant at Tennessee State
- He replaces Jarvis Stephen, who had a 21-37 record
- Principal Roger Jones praises Buggs' leadership qualities
- Buggs is expected to positively impact the school and community
Mentioned in this story
Collierville basketball hires former Tennessee State assistant Erik Buggs as coach
Collierville High School has hired Memphis native and former Tennessee State assistant Erik Buggs as its next boys basketball coach, the school announced in a release shared with The Commercial Appeal on May 15.
Buggs replaces Jarvis Stephen, who was hired in 2024 and was 21-37 across his two seasons at the school, including a 12-18 record during the 2026 season.
“Coach Buggs brings tremendous passion for student-athletes, a strong commitment to excellence, and the leadership qualities that align with the proud tradition of Collierville High School,” said CHS Principal Roger Jones in the statement. “I am confident he will make a lasting impact on our players, our school, and our community, and we look forward with great excitement to the future of Collierville basketball under his leadership.”
Buggs, a former All-State player at Mitchell High, brings coaching experience at the AAU, high school and collegiate levels, where he most recently served as an assistant at Tennessee State in 2024-25, and later as TSU's interim head coach after Brian Collins' departure.
Before TSU, he spent three seasons as an assistant at Tennessee Martin, helping lead the Skyhawks to an Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship in 2023-24. During his college playing career, Buggs contributed to two Horizon League championships at Valparaiso, where he is still the program's all-time leader in games played. He later played overseas from 2013-16 before launching his coaching career in Memphis, where he was previously head coach at Memphis Catholic and Kingsbury.
Buggs has experience coaching 4A basketball in Memphis. In 2020-21, he served as associate head coach under Mike Miller at Houston when the Mustangs won the TSSAA Class 4A state championship.
Wendell Shepherd Jr. is The Commercial Appeal's high school sports beat writer. Reach Wendell at wendell.shepherd@commercialappeal.com or on X @wendellsjr_.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Collierville basketball hires former Tennessee State assistant Erik Buggs coach
Q&A
Who is Erik Buggs and what is his coaching background?
Erik Buggs is a Memphis native and former assistant coach at Tennessee State, now hired as the boys basketball coach at Collierville High School.
Why did Collierville High School hire Erik Buggs as their basketball coach?
Collierville High School hired Erik Buggs for his passion for student-athletes, commitment to excellence, and leadership qualities that align with the school's tradition.
What was Jarvis Stephen's record as the coach of Collierville basketball?
Jarvis Stephen had a record of 21-37 during his two seasons as the boys basketball coach at Collierville High School.
