'Excited to get home': New Holland College women's basketball coach returns to his roots

Jared Cheverie has been named the new Holland College women's basketball coach, after a year in Alberta as the head coach at Grand Prairie Regional College.

Mike Connolly retired in March after leading the team to three consecutive Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association titles, and Cheverie knows he has some big shoes to fill.

• Holland College women's basketball coach retires

"They've just been a perennial winner," he said."If you already have success you don't want to drop."

"The expectation and the pressure comes with keeping it there."

'Different challenges'

Cheverie said that coming into a new coaching position often means taking over a basketball program that is rebuilding, butin the case of Holland College, this one is a championship contender.

"There's different challenges you can have when you're taking over a program."

He said a program as successful as Holland College can be a difficult transition for fans with high expectations.

"There will be a slide, maybe, in the wins and losses a little bit when you have the learning curve of bringing in new systems and new ideals and new focuses," he said.

"When the team was 17-1 last year, the supporters aren't going to be happy for it to slide too much."

"So that idea of remaining successful and being a winner is some of the pressure that I'll have on myself," said Cheverie.

'A unique place'

Cheverie said that his focus is on the athletes, making sure their experience is a positive one, going beyond measuring success in wins and losses.

"While the importance will be obviously there to produce a good basketball environment, I think it's also equally important if not more so, to provide a strong educational environment for the students so that academically they know they're supported," he said.

He has already been in touch with players that could be returning in the fall and said he's had "great conversations" with them.

"From year to year, it's the players, it's their team," he said.

"It's the coach's responsibility to make sure the program runs smoothly, but their feedback is important so that they can continue to feel comfortable with the changeover and also continue to feel that they're a part of the whole process, which is important."

Cheverie said he is "really excited to get home and get rolling with things" with the Hurricanes.

"It's a unique place, run by some great people, attended by some great kids, great students. And to have it in my backyard within walking distance of where I grew up is kind of a neat thing too."

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