BOAZ  – Hokes Bluff coach Jason Shields will take over the Snead State women's basketball program.

"We are excited to welcome Coach Shields to the Parson family," said Snead State Athletic Director Mark Richard. "We know his work ethic, coaching knowledge and experience will be a great asset to our program."

Shields went 495-196 in his 23 seasons as a varsity head coach at Cherokee County and Hokes Bluff. The 1988 Hokes Bluff graduate was 258-103 at his alma mater from 2008-2020. At Cherokee County from 1993-2004, he compiled a 237-93 record. He has been the head coach of the varsity women's program at Hokes Bluff since 2009.

He won 12 county championships (six consecutive in Etowah and six total in Cherokee), 11 area championships (six at Cherokee County, five at Hokes Bluff), two regional championships (both with Cherokee County) and one state championship in 1998 at Cherokee County.

Shields was the Alabama High School Athletic Association Coach of the Year in 2017 and was most recently named The Gadsden Times Coach of the Year for 2019-2020. Hokes Bluff finished this season 25-9 and reached the Northeast Regional semifinals, just one year after finishing 14-16. He was named the Etowah County Coach of the year six seasons in a row from 2012-2017. He also coached the AHSAA North's all-star basketball team in 2014.

"I've been put in communities that love the game," Shields said in an interview with The Gadsden Times. "They've all been pretty much dream jobs for me. This one is, too. It's got a community and good tradition. Coach (John) Kitchens did a good job up there for years, and the community supports it. The administration and faculty support it. I've been blessed to be put in places doing something I've always dreamed of doing. They've all been great places to be."

Shields is a 1994 graduate of Jacksonville State University. He earned a degree in Secondary Education. He earned his Master's degree in Education from Jacksonville State University in 1997.