Prose and Kohn: New Cougars boys basketball coach can be the Cherry on top

It's nearly impossible to build a high school sports program if the person doing the building keeps leaving. 

Not only are the players asked to do different things by each coach, putting a hitch in their development, but the trust they have built up for each coach is eroded, too. It takes time for the next coach to earn it back.

The Cardinal Mooney High boys basketball program has been a victim of this issue. They didn't used to; the Cougars had 11 years of steady coaching under Stefan Gates until 2016 when he stepped down to became an assistant principal at the school. Since Gates left, the Cougars have had two years under Mike Urban, one season under John Luzzi and one season under Clayton Slentz, and they're about to add another coach to the revolving door for 2021. That's not conducive to winning.

I'm not blaming any of the individual coaches for this. Life happens. There are plenty of valid reasons to leave a high school coaching gig after a season or two. I'm simply stating the impact a run of these short coaching stints has on a program trying to compete in a tough basketball area. 

This next coach, though, may give the Cougars the stability they need. 

Cardinal Mooney announced Aug. 11 that it hired former Riverview High two-sport star Vince Cherry as its next boys basketball coach. Cherry, 28, was an assistant varsity coach with the Cougars last season and the school's head junior varsity coach the two seasons prior. He's seen the turnover the program has had and knows it needs to end. He also believes he's capable of taking Mooney to new heights. 

"The biggest thing is consistency," Cherry said. "I'm going to be there. I'm hoping that me stepping in with my relationships to the kids, it'll be easier for them. They'll be willing to take on the challenge."

Cherry played for the Rams under Coach B.J. Ivey, the current The Out-of-Door Academy coach who led Riverview to eight district titles and the 2016 state championship game in 13 seasons. Cherry said Ivey taught him to realize there are more important things than wins and losses in coaching. 

"The air is going to come out of the ball one day," Cherry said. "You're going to be a person longer than you're going to be a basketball player. (As a coach,) you have to build character. You have to build relationships with these kids and not preach basketball all the time."

Cherry will spend a lot of time on basketball, though. Cherry said he wants the hallmark of his Cougars teams to be tenacity, how hard they get after it on the court. Cherry wants to win, but he's going to do it his way. The right way. The Cougars are going to get up and down the floor with tempo, Cherry said. They're going to press offenses right in their faces, maybe for entire games. They're going to make opponents feel as uncomfortable as possible — while remaining respectful. Cherry believes that will lead to wins. 

If he sticks around to see his vision through, he might be right. 

In other Cougars news, Cardinal Mooney named Drew Mitchell its assistant athletic director on Aug. 17. Mitchell has worked as an AD at Bradenton Christian School, Palmetto Charter School and Citrus Park Christian School in the past.