During this past Saturday’s telecast of the ETSU game against The Citadel, cameras caught Citadel linebackers coach Zane Vance in the coaching box during the second half. If Vance looked familiar to sports fans in the Tri-Cities, he should. Not only is Vance a former ETSU player, but he spent 11 years of his coaching career on the high school circuit in Northeast Tennessee.
After five seasons coaching defensive linemen for his alma mater, Vance moved on to Unicoi County, where he served as head coach for three seasons (1993-95). Then Vance went to Dobyns-Bennett, where he spent eight years on the staff of longtime Tribe coach Graham Clark. Vance oversaw special teams, linebackers, and fullbacks during his tenure with the Tribe.
“We started every game on the headset: ‘Did you hear the one about Myra Koontz?’ ” Clark recalled via text message, dropping a pretty deep cut for fans of “The Andy Griffith Show.” “Great coach. He was passionate about the Indians and the game.”
Since leaving Dobyns-Bennett, Vance has coached primarily at the collegiate level. He spent seven seasons at Kent State in a variety of roles, including a two-year stint as recruiting coordinator. After two years back at the prep level, Vance returned to Division I as assistant head coach at New Mexico State, a role he held for four seasons. He spent six seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Charleston Southern prior to signing on at The Citadel.
Brian Barrett, a fixture at D-B whose former pupils in football and track included future NFL players like Gerald Sensabaugh, Coty Sensabaugh, and Teddy Gaines, remembered Vance for his extreme level of preparation.
“One of the best drill guys I’ve ever been around,” Barrett said via text message. “He always had his guys ready to play and held them to a high standard! He and I always had a fun time and good relationship.”
Jeff Luethke, a longtime associate of the D-B program, remembered one sweltering summer when the Buck Van Huss Dome was undergoing renovations that meant no air conditioning at the time. That season, D-B was slated to open against Montgomery Bell Academy, a powerhouse private school from the Nashville area. The staff was watching film when the fire alarm went off, and the power went out.
Sitting there in the oppressive heat and now in the dark, Luethke recalled hearing Vance’s voice: “I’m sure this is how they’re doing it at MBA.”
Luethke described Vance via text as “one of the kindest, most genuine men, fathers, coaches that I have ever met in my entire life. But an absolutely fierce competitor.
“He would rip your heart out and stomp it three times to beat you, but then help you up, hit you on the back, and coach you up on how to do it better next time after he’s beat you.”
The Citadel plays at Texas A&M this Saturday before returning to Southern Conference play.
Here’s a look at some other locals of note at the Division I and professional levels in sports.
Pro Basketball
Ja’Kobi Gillespie is making a strong case for a spot on the San Antonio Spurs’ roster. The 2026-27 season tips off this Tuesday, and the Spurs are set to face the Thunder that night. The Greeneville native Gillespie, the No. 42 overall pick in June’s NBA Draft, went off for 25 points in 25 minutes in the Spurs’ exhibition game Monday, a 119-109 loss to the Utah Jazz. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson had high praise for Gillespie, telling the San Antonio Express-News: “He’s a guy that in terms of what we’re looking for from every single person on our roster, the way that he’s guarding and competing, sharing the basketball, playing with pace, being aggressive, attacking. He’s not perfect, but he’s playing with confidence and putting his energy in the right spots. The next thing you know, he has a lot of opportunities and advantageous spots that he finds himself in.”
Moving to Europe, where Gate City native and three-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner Mac McClung is averaging 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists across all competitions for Basquet Girona. While currently 1-2 in Liga ACB with a couple of lopsided losses, Basquet Girona is off to a 2-0 start in its first-ever appearance in the FIBA Europe Cup. The top two teams in each of the eight groups will advance to the second phase of the Cup.
Pro football
LB Jaden Keller (Bristol/Tennessee High/Virginia Tech) is back on the practice squad for the Jets, for now, but has been on the active roster for two of five games so far. Keller is credited with one tackle thus far this season.