New hoops coach excited to get Generals rolling
Che Richardson, 31, is the new boys basketball coach at Wooster High School. Richardson, a Canton native, also will be a guidance counselor at Edgewood Middle School.
It was only a matter of time before Che Richardson became the head basketball coach of a high school varsity program.
Armed with an impressive resume as a player at Canton McKinley and Malone University and eight years as an assistant coach, Richardson’s big opportunity came when Wooster High announced him as the Generals’ head coach on May 11.
Nearly two months into the job, Richardson is optimistic about his future in Wooster and the players in his program.
“It’s always been a dream of mine just to be a head coach somewhere and just to have my own program to run,” said Richardson, 31, who was the top assistant at Canton McKinley the last four years. “I’ve learned a lot of things playing college basketball and then being a part of different coaching staffs throughout my career. I’m taking those things that I’ve learned, and I’ll build that into my own program and my own culture here at Wooster.”
Richardson, whose first name is pronounced “Shay,” earned second-team All-Federal League and All-Stark County honors as a player at Canton McKinley. As a 6-foot-4 guard-forward at Malone, Richardson was a four-year starter and team captain for two years.
During that time at Malone, Richardson developed a strong relationship with coach Tim Walker, who’s since left the college for a business job.
“Tim Walker is my mentor and a person that I look up to,” Richardson said. “He is a coach that I’ve always wanted to be like. He is big on relationships but also holding you to a standard, and that’s the person that I’ve always just really wanted to be like.”
Of course, many others have influenced Richardson along the way. Two other men who stand out are his uncle and former coach Michael Elliott and former Canton McKinley head coach Andy Vlajkovich.
Wooster Athletic Director Alex Mallue said the school was just as impressed with Richardson as a person as they were his basketball experience.
“In meeting with coach Richardson throughout our process, it became evident very early on that he is a person of integrity, is passionate about teaching the game of basketball and is highly committed to building positive, meaningful relationships with his student-athletes,” Mallue wrote in a statement announcing the hire.
Richardson will take qualities learned from his mentors and blend his own personality into the program.
“Our style can depend a lot on the type of players we have,” said Richardson, who will be a guidance counselor at Edgewood Middle School. “In the summertime we’ve learned a lot about what we need to do to be successful at the varsity level and be successful as a program here.
“Those are things I’ll take into the fall and just kind of readjust some things that I was planning to do to make it helpful for my players and to help us all be successful.”
Wooster has just two letterwinners back from last season’s team, which compiled a 9-12 record under former head coach Michael Snowbarger (116-83 overall, three OCC titles, in eight seasons at Wooster).
Returnees Brady Bowen (rising junior) and senior Ethan Shetler have worked well with potential varsity newcomers this summer, Richardson said. Shetler and Anthony Sines, who’s decided to rejoin the program, will be the only seniors.
Wooster finished as the runner-up at a College of Wooster summer shootout, which included more than 10 teams, and has had scrimmages at Hudson and Alliance. Several dozen high school and middle school players have attended summer workouts.
“I think there’s a lot of promise in this program from freshmen all the way up to seniors,” Richardson said. “There’s a lot of youth that’s had some promising success, and then there’s our middle school group, which has had success.
“We’ve grown a lot this summer with our workouts and had a chance to play against other teams and see where we kind of stand. The biggest thing varsity wise is gonna be our inexperience at the varsity level, which you can gain from just playing. I think there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs for us this season, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
The Generals have relied on the 3-point shot more than Richardson would like in the summer, but he’s planning to stress an efficient half-court offense that also can create inside shots this winter.
“If you watch us this summer, we shoot a lot of 3s, but that is not the goal,” Richardson said. “We’re gonna get up and press a little bit, and we’re just going to be able to execute.
“I think to be successful come tournament time, you have to be able to execute your plays and you have to be able to play half-court ball. That’s what it comes down to. You can press all you want throughout the season and have success, but in reality, once you get into the tournament, the press can only help so much.”
Richardson, who’s single, can’t wait to get the 2023-24 school year started. He’s finalizing plans to live in Wooster this month and looking forward to building relationships in the community.
“Ever since the first interview, everything just felt right,” Richardson said. “Everyone has been very welcoming and amazing. I’m really excited to be here.”
Aaron Dorksen can be emailed at aarondorksen24@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AaronDorksen.