In first season, Coatesville coach Thompson using experience to keep Raiders on path toward title

CALN >> Just a couple days before a round two PIAA 6A Tournament clash with Butler, the District 7 runner up, Coatesville started Monday’s basketball practice with an impromptu game of H-O-R-S-E. It pitted first-year head coach Fred Thompson against junior guard Dapree Bryant, one of the best football/basketball players in the state.

By the end, Thompson was smiling ear-to-ear and so where all of his players. For the record, Bryant edged Thompson with a shot from near half court, but that hardly mattered. Things are pretty loose as the Red Raiders look to advance to the state quarterfinals.

“(Bryant) got me today,” Thompson said with a chuckle.

“These kids are great to be around. They are a lot of fun, as you can see. I enjoy being around them, although I’m not sure they enjoy being around me.”

That may have been the case back in July when Thompson was hired to replace Chuck Moore, who unexpectedly stepped down in May at Coatesville after five seasons.

“That shocked a lot of us,” admitted senior forward Tione Holmes.

“I was pretty surprised,” added senior guard Aaron Young. “It kind of came out of nowhere.”

But nearly eight months later, the Raiders are 27-2 overall, they won the Ches-Mont league crown, were the District 1 runner-up, and are now just four wins away from the program’s first state title since 2001.

“These kids are loyal to a fault to their coaches,” Thompson explained. “I’m sure they didn’t trust me at first, and it’s taken some time. But I think it’s slowly but surely coming along.”

Well into his 50s, Thompson has been a head basketball coach for a quarter century. A native of Sumter, S.C., he’s amassed 387 victories along the way, first at Meridian (Miss.) Community College, then at Dunalk (Md.) High School, which was followed by 18 years at Millersville University.

“I didn’t know about him at all,” Holmes said. “I thought he was just another coach, but he knows how to push us to our limit. We listened and respect him more because he comes from the college level.”

With a 272-233 record, three PSAC East titles, three NCAA Division II appearances and three league coach of the year awards, Thompson was arguably one of the most successful hoops coaches in Millersville history. But he was fired following the 2015-16 season after the Marauders went 4-22, which was the program’s worst season in 70 years.

“It was all about scholarship dollars,” Thompson explained. “Millersville wasn’t willing to put any money into the program.

“When I got there in 1998, it cost $8,000-$9,000 a year to go to school there, and they were giving me $30,000. When I left in 2016, it cost almost $20,000 to go to school there and they were still giving me $30,000.

“It was a gradual fall. They won’t admit it, but it also happened to (Millersville’s) football program. We were able to hold on for about 10 years but eventually it hit us.”

Thompson took a couple years off from coaching before coming to Coatesville, and his first season has been a rousing success. A year ago under Moore, the Raiders went 21-7, did not win the Ches-Mont championship and were bounced in round one of the state tournament. And eight seniors graduated from that team, including a Division I recruit in 6-foot-9 center Tyrel Bladen.

With Bryant and superstar backcourt mate Jhamir Brickus, Thompson inherited some generational talents. But he was also smart enough not to rock the boat too much. Coatesville is guard-oriented, ultra-quick all over the floor and tenacious defensively, which fits right in with Thompson’s preferred style of play.

“He didn’t try to slow us down,” Young said. “He kind of just lets us play, but there are definitely teaching points mixed in.”

Senior center Ricky Santiago added: “Fred’s done a good job and that’s why we are in the state playoffs.

“His offense is more around the guards. With more spacing and iso-ball, that helps with scoring, and it helps with turnovers and fast breaks on defense.”

Thompson says that he tries to adjust his style of play to the players he has, but he built the program at Millersville by emphasizing a commitment to the defense.

“This season has far exceeded what I thought we could be,” he said. “I knew we could be good, but to sit here and say I thought we’d be where we are today, I would be lying.”

When he arrived last summer, Thompson didn’t know a whole lot about the Coatesville program, but he learned quickly.

“I figured out fast that they love putting the ball on the floor and getting to the basket,” he said.

“I also learned that Coatesville kids are tough and resilient. They are not going to give up and play hard every minute. And these kids know how to play. I can draw something up on the bench and they will catch onto it quickly.”

Thompson also liked the fact that the team is filled with gym rats. That the city’s basketball culture translates into prospects who simply love the game.

“These kids love being in the gym. They aren’t much for the weight room, but I wasn’t much of a weight-room guy when I played,” laughed Thompson, who attended Division I Northeast Louisiana (now Louisiana-Monroe).

That doesn’t mean there haven’t been some adjustments going from college back to high school for the first time in two decades.

“You have to adjust your attitude toward coaching,” Thompson said. “I was a screamer at one time – I’m not that anymore. That’s one thing I like about being at Coatesville. I just don’t cuss and fuss like I did in college.”

And even though the Raiders have made big strides under Thompson, there are more adjustments to be made in the future by his players.  

“They love to gamble a lot on defense,” he said. “This is our first year and they will learn. This is not a one year process. They are going to have to learn to stay in front of people instead of gambling.”

It sure sounds like Thompson plans to be coaching at Coatesville well into the foreseeable future.

“I am here at Coatesville for the long haul,” he said.