Red Devils adjust to latest coaching change

New basketball seasons are accompanied these days by a new boys basketball coach at Chaffee High School. This year is holding true to form.

The Red Devils, 6-17 a year ago under David Mirly, will be under their fifth coach in six seasons. Brian Horrell is retaking the reins after leading the programs for a season before Mirly arrived.

Horrell will take over a program that has struggled throughout its changes of command. Chaffee's boys haven't had a winning season since 1980 and have not reached double-figures for wins in a season during that span.

Horrell takes over a squad that lost its two top scorers from a year ago in James Reischman and Sam Burnett. In the Red Devils' final game of last year, a 61-48 district play-in loss to Greenville, the pair accounted for 34 of Chaffee's 48 points.

Chaffee will try to fill the void with a blend of four players with varsity experience, junior-varsity players from last year and several upperclassmen who haven't played high school basketball for the last couple of seasons.

"They're pretty inexperienced," Horrell said. "We've got good hard-working kids. Hopefully we can stay competitive early in the season and be a lot more competitive later in the season."

Chaffee has two returning starters in 6-foot-3 senior guard Sid Burks and 6-1 senior forward Bret Whitaker. Juniors Brad Uhrhan (5-8), who backed up Reischman at point guard last year, and Tyler Graham (6-3), a forward, both saw varsity action last year.

Varsity experience, as well as basketball experience in general, drops off after the foursome. Junior forward Gabe Walter played on the junior-varsity last year, but the Red Devils' remaining upperclassmen are short on experience. Senior guards Brandon Davis (5-7), Nick Powderly (5-6) and Richard Hinkebein (6-0) have been added to the varsity roster along with junior center Matt Sanders (6-4), but none of the four played basketball last season.

"This year we've got some size with the newcomers," Horrell said. "If we learn to be patient and work the ball a little bit, we can be competitive. We have to develop the style we want to play."