Langley introduced as Blue Ridge girls basketball coach

New Blue Ridge girls’ basketball head coach Demarkus Langley never saw himself in this position.

In fact, he never saw himself as more than a volunteer assistant.

“When I first got here, I thought I’d just volunteer, that way I wouldn’t have to be at every game and practice,” said Langley. “But as I started working with the team and spending more time here, I started having a hard time staying away. It’s just something about the atmosphere.”

Langley began as a volunteer assistant in 2018. He was promoted to the Lady Tigers’ main assistant coach in 2019. He’s served in that role for the past five years.

On April 8, Langley was officially announced as the new head coach of the Blue Ridge Lady Tigers’ basketball team.

“I’m extremely thankful for this opportunity,” said Langley. “I consider myself a fairly behind-the-scenes guy, so for the administration at Blue Ridge to notice the work and consider me for this position, it means a lot.

“My wife and I prayed about it before the offer came. We pray about everything. We decided that if the job was offered, I would take it. So when the administration asked me to fill the role, I took it on the spot.”

Langley takes over the position from Alex Smith, who held the role for seven years. Smith— with Langley as his right-hand man—helped guide the Lady Tigers to a 132-46 record during his tenure.

“Honestly, I thought of myself as being [Alex] Smith’s assistant forever,” said Langley. “That’s how much I enjoyed working with him and accomplishing what we did. But the timing for this move just sort of fell into place.”

“I’m so excited for Coach Langley to be the next leader for the team,” said Smith, who was hired as Landrum High’s Athletic Director earlier this month. “He has been an integral part in creating the culture we have established here over the last seven years. He is an incredible basketball mind and has a heart that he will surely pour into future Tigers. I feel incredibly blessed to call him my friend and to have shared the sideline with him for so many years.”

Langley has been an influential figure in maintaining the pipeline for the Blue Ridge girls’ basketball program. He coached and mentored several Lady Tigers when they were at the AAU and middle-school age, playing a big role in keeping talent flowing through The Ridge.

“I don’t just want this to be coaching,” said Langley. “I want this to be a ministry in the sense of developing these young ladies into the best young ladies they can possibly be. Our motto has always been ‘bigger than basketball.’ And these girls have always bought in.”

Langley now takes full charge of a Lady Tiger team fresh off four straight upper-state semifinal appearances. He says he’s excited about what the future of the program holds.

“We’ve got a good core group of girls here that play hard. I couldn’t walk into a better opportunity,” said Langley. “This is a school where winning matters, but also a place where it’s about building up these young women above all else.”