Morris Copley, a native of Paintsville, is the second head coach of the UPike Bass Fishing program.
Copley spent five seasons as the head coach of the team at Paintsville High School, where he was the first coach of that program. During his time with the Tigers, he handled all day-to-day activities with the program, coaching and mentoring students while emphasizing the importance of academics, leadership and sportsmanship.
“My goal is to develop a roster of student-athletes who represent the university with integrity while growing both competitively and personally,” said Copley.
While coaching at Paintsville, was in charge of planning practice, tournament scheduling and preparation and on-the-water coach, while coordinating travel, managing equipment and scheduling. He has experience in budgeting and fundraising.
While at Paintsville, Copley was the director of athletics for the Paintsville Independent School District from 2018-2023. In that role, he provided leadership for all athletic programs and coaches, managed budgets, scheduling, travel, and compliance and supported student-athlete development and academic accountability.
Copley has also been the director of the Kentucky Team Trail since 2022, where he directs and oversees regional bass fishing tournaments across the Commonwealth. In doing so, he has managed logistics, rules enforcement, venues and payouts while gathering sponsorships and finances. He also helped build a regional recruiting and scouting pipeline.
