North Carolina Girls Basketball Coach Remembered for 'Class, Grace, Wisdom' After Tragic Loss at 57

Sheremy Dillard spent years teaching, coaching and encouraging young people in North Carolina, building relationships that extended well beyond the basketball court.

Now two school communities are mourning the loss of the 57-year-old girls basketball coach and teacher, who was found dead Thursday at her Raleigh home.

Dillard was the girls basketball coach and a recovery teacher at Felton Grove High School in Apex after previously spending years as a teacher and girls basketball coach at Carrboro High School.

Those who knew Dillard have described a coach with an infectious smile, a strong but comforting coaching style and a willingness to advocate for the students and athletes she served.

“Coach Dillard left Carrboro with a profound legacy of class, grace, wisdom and dedicated service,” a Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools spokesperson said in a statement reported by ABC 11 News. “She treated Jaguar players, coaches and colleagues like family, while never hesitating to engage in the hard conversations needed to advocate for equity and do what was best for our students and community.”

Dillard Was a Conference Coach of the Year at Carrboro

Dillard built much of her coaching legacy at Carrboro, where CBS 17 News reported she was named the Northern Lakes Athletic Conference girls basketball Coach of the Year in 2023.

Her impact, however, extended beyond wins, losses and basketball.

According to ABC11, Dillard graduated from North Carolina Central University and dedicated herself to coaching and mentoring young people. She was also a member of Tau Gamma Delta Sorority, Incorporated.

Ticca Harris, a fellow sorority member and longtime friend, told ABC11 that Dillard invested not only in her athletes but in the lives of people around her.

“She was also invested in my kids, my kids playing sports,” Harris told ABC11. “And so she was always one of their biggest cheerleaders and not only that, she was one of my biggest cheerleaders.”

Harris said Dillard “spread joy” and hoped those who knew her would continue living with the same spirit.

Dillard Helped Launch Felton Grove High School

Dillard joined Felton Grove High School when the Apex school opened in 2025, according to CBS 17.

In addition to coaching girls basketball, she worked as a recovery teacher, helping students catch up on skills or credits they needed.

Felton Grove principal Robert Morrison informed families of Dillard's death in a message to the school community.

“Our condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends,” Morrison wrote, according to WRAL News. “Please keep them and all of those that have been impacted by this loss in your hearts.”

Morrison said the school would provide support as students and staff process Dillard's death.

“We will work together as a unified school community and we will support one another as we process this loss and navigate this challenging time together,” he wrote.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools also planned to provide resources to Carrboro staff and students as that community mourns its former coach, according to ABC11.

Police Charge Dillard's Boyfriend With First-Degree Murder

Dillard was found at her Raleigh home shortly after noon Thursday after family members became concerned because they had not heard from her, according to WRAL.

Raleigh police said Dillard suffered multiple stab wounds.

Police identified Dillard's boyfriend, Rickey Harper, as a suspect and said surveillance technology helped investigators determine that he had left North Carolina. Harper was taken into custody Friday afternoon in Pennsylvania.

The Wake County District Attorney's Office charged Harper with first-degree murder in connection with Dillard's death, WRAL reported.

The charge is an allegation, and the case remains subject to the criminal justice process.

'She Treated Jaguar Players, Coaches and Colleagues Like Family'

For the athletes, students and colleagues Dillard encountered during her career, her death leaves a loss that reaches across school district lines.

“Many of our current Jaguar staff and students had strong relationships with Coach Dillard,” Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools said in its statement, “and as our community begins to process this loss, we will rely on each other for the needed support at this sad time.”

Harris offered a more personal description of the coach she knew.

“She spread joy,” Harris told ABC11. “I loved her just like everybody else did.”

For Dillard's former players and students, those memories now form part of a legacy built over years of teaching, coaching, advocating and encouraging young people — one that stretched far beyond the basketball court.

Add us as a preferred source on Google