After putting in two years as assistant coach of the men’s Chargers basketball team, Scot Cuachon is starting to move up.
Newly appointed as the interim head coach after previous head coach Craig Price shipped out to Alberta, Cuachon has high expectations for the boys in the upcoming year.
“To be completely honest, if we finish any lower than third it would be a personal failure for me,” says Cuachon. “I feel like we have to build and get better every year, and with our bronze-place finish last year I feel that is our baseline.”
Luckily, as Cuachon has been assistant for the past two years, the transition should be a smooth one.
“He’s going to bring a new spin on things, but it will build on what we’ve built up with the previous coach,” says Jordan Elvedahl, who plays point guard for the Chargers.
Cuachon brings more experience than just the couple years he’s had as assistant coach. He’s been a basketball player all his life, playing in both college and university. So for him, the move to coaching was simply a natural progression, the next step in his basketball career.
As a past player, Cuachon recognizes that the success of the team doesn’t lie solely on him, and is trusting his players to step up and bring home the championship.
“I don’t feel as though it is completely up to me,” he says. “Of course I have a big part in it, but we have some very strong leaders and proven people on our team. Some guys are going into their last eligible year of playing, and want to make it memorable. They will force guys to join them, and all I really have to worry about is the technical side.”
With coach Cuachon’s game plan in full swing, the Chargers are hoping to beat last year’s provincial third-place finish and move on to the nationals. To get there, Cuachon will be working hard, implementing his signature twists to ensure that the team is ready for the challenges that await them in this upcoming season.
“As far as putting a stamp on how we’re going to play this year, their training camp and conditioning will be hellish, to say the least,” says Cuachon. “These guys know what they’re in for, and will be working pretty hard to get in shape for the season.”