Coaching chaos

By Shane Mettlen

Published: November 18, 2008

Two weeks before the Eastern View boys basketball team opens the season at Louisa on Dec. 2, the Cyclones are looking for a coach.

Eugene Logan, a pastor in Madison, was supposed to lead Eastern View in its first season, but had to step down after being approved by the Culpeper County School Board earlier this month.

“Eugene Logan was our coach and he has outside obligations,” EVHS activities director Mark Settle said. “Right now we are in a limbo state. We wish we had coach Logan, but he’s in a business that’s very demanding. We thought it was going to work, but I’m glad we know now instead of midseason.”

In the mean time, assistant coach Walter Wright is running the program with help from fellow assistant B.J. Johnson. Wright, who played college basketball at Old Dominion and Elizabeth City State before graduating in 1997. Settle said Wright and Johnson will be considered to take over the program full time, but other candidates are also in the mix.

“Coach Wright and coach Johnson have led the team through the evaluation and cutting process and they’ve done a great job of that,” Settle said. “We’ve got a couple of guys we want to look out and talk to we want to obviously talk to (Wright and Johnson) as well.”

Wright said his goal has always been to become a head coach and looks at this situation as an opportunity to audition for the job.

“Not knowing what would happen and going into it like this it’s sort of amazing to see how things unravel,” Wright said. “But I’m honored by the opportunity to sit in. “I’m a basketball man. I’ve been playing basketball since I was 5 so I know the game. It’s exciting to see these guys developing and it’s exciting to see that a couple of them might get to play in college.”

Wright, a graduate of JEB Stuart High in Falls Church, works as an engineering supervisor for Verizon and said he’s trying to make the transition easy on the players.

“I’ve been just kind of rolling with the flow,” Wright said. “That’s all I can do because I don’t want to short change this group of guys. Whatever is in their best interest is what I’m here for.”

Settle said the team had done a good job dealing with the uncertainty.

“Our kids have been doing great,” Settle said. “They’ve been working their rear ends off and doing what we expect them to do. I don’t think the kids have missed a beat.”

Shane Mettlen can be reached at 825-0771, ext. 127 or