INMAN, S.C. – When wintertime arrives, a new – though familiar -- voice will be guiding one area program.
Jared St. Charles has been tabbed as the new head coach for the Chapman High School boys’ basketball team. St. Charles is no stranger to Spartanburg District One, having just served in the same role with the Landrum Cardinals womens’ basketball program from 2020 to 2024. St. Charles led the Lady Cardinals to a 75-31 record – and a 70.75 winning percentage – that featured a pair of 20-plus win seasons, three straight region championships, two trips to the Upper State championship game (2022, 2024), and an appearance in the 2A state final that capped off an outstanding 27-4 record for the 2023-24 campaign. That also marked the Lady Cards’ first trip back to the state championship since 1975. Landrum tallied 12 All-Region selections – two with All-State recognition in Savannah Brown and Kaylee Cortez – during his time guiding the program. Brown and Cortez each surpassed the 1,000 career points milestone during the 2023-24 season. He also served as a JV and varsity assistant coach with the Landrum boys’ basketball program prior to becoming the Lady Cardinals head coach. “I loved coaching the girls’ team at Landrum,” said St. Charles. “To be honest, I’ve always been a boys’ (basketball) coach. I have a lot of experience with the boys’ game, and I wanted to get back to it. Both of my kids are coming up (through high school) and my oldest son is going to be a freshman so that was an intriguing thing as well.” Prior to arriving in the Palmetto State, St. Charles spent nine seasons at the helm of the Mitchell High Mustangs boys’ basketball program in Florida, in which he oversaw the program’s jump from the 4A classification up to the 7A level. During his time with the Mustangs from 2009 to 2018, he accumulated a 164-85 record – a winning percentage of 65.86 – in that span that featured seven winning seasons, with five campaigns of 20 or more victories to go along with four district championships. “I know the Chapman boys have a good tradition of winning a lot of basketball games and there’s a lot of talent there. I know it’s a great community and great town, and I know there’s going to be a lot of good backing from the community, so I’m excited.” As he starts this next chapter with the Panthers, St. Charles feels like the program is already in a good place and has quite a bit of potential. “I think we can be extremely successful right off the bat,” he stated. “There’s a lot of good returning players coming back. Knowing what kids are coming up through middle school and the younger guys as well, we have a real shot to be really good for a long time. It’s very intriguing because there’s a lot of solid players at Chapman already.” “It’s a good group of kids. They act and do things the right way. Coach (Greg) Wilson picked some good kids (to play). I’ve gotten to know them because we’ve had a couple of open gyms now. They’re good natured and coachable. That was the thing I always said about the Landrum girls – they were extremely coachable, and it was a delight to coach them because they did such a good job with that.” When asked about some things he has learned about the team early on, he noted some things they did well in their previous offensive system and believes that can be incorporated into a new style of play. “They are very skilled,” he remarked. “You can tell Coach Wilson did a good job with the offense they were working at, and they can shoot the ball extremely well. The difference for me is that with my girls’ teams, we were very attacking. The biggest thing is that we want to bring an attacking style of defense. We want to cause a lot of havoc, turnovers, and play fast.” “At the same time, we want to play under control offensively. My offense is that we do a lot of back cuts, a lot of movement, and I don’t like people standing and dribbling too much. I like people moving and cutting, so I think that’s going to be a little different. They were used to a dribble-drive offense where they were driving and kicking. That stuff can be utilized in the offense I want to run, but I like a lot of passing, cutting, spacing, screening, that kind of stuff. It’ll be a good fit.” Even though the new season won’t arrive for a few months, St. Charles already has a message for everyone in the community about what they can expect from the program. “We’re going to compete hard, play hard, and play as a team. You’re going to see the kids move the ball, cut, space, and play with a lot of joy and passion. They’re going to play together. We’re going to have a lot of kids who are going to do the right thing and act right on the court.” “We plan on doing some community outreach as I continue to get into the mix. I want these kids to be good citizens of their school, and then get on the floor, play hard, and show their community that they’re playing their butts off." Comments are closed.
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