Perry Superintendent of Schools Clark Wicks introduced new girls varsity basketball head coach Chris Morrow to a crowd of Jayettes and their parents at the PHS Commons Wednesday.
“We got him just in time, because he was about to take a coaching job at Ankeny,” Wicks said of Morrow. “I really feel like we got lucky and have the right guy for the job.”
As first reported by ThePerryNews.com., Morrow, 31, is the first hire for the position since 1978, when Mike Long’s success-filled time with the whistle began.
Wicks, noting Long’s rich, 40-year tenure on the Perry bench, said Morrow was inheriting a program with a tradition of success.
“What Mike Long did here stands on its own, and I cannot replace a 40-year coach,” Morrow said. “My job will be to carry on that great tradition, but to start building a new (version of that) tradition.”
Morrow thanked those in attendance, saying he was pleased by the turnout on a less than 24-hour notice. Several players could not attend, with others out of town for various reasons.
The new coach stressed the importance of the Jayettes getting to work immediately, noting the team was “already way behind” because other teams had been working and attending camps throughout the summer.
Daily workouts will begin at 11:15 a.m. tomorrow and will last one hour, he said.
The new coach stressed his up-tempo offensive style and said his defensive philosophy was to press the ball and play aggressive man-to-man defense.
“We are going to learn to talk, too,” he said. “Communication with each other is key, on and off the court, and I want us to be a team that is talking all the time.”
Morrow laid down the law on social media, saying players had 24 hours to remove any negative things on any of their pages.
“You represent Perry High School, your community, your teammates and coaches, and yourselves, and I won’t allow negativity,” he said. “If you cannot post something positive, than don’t post. And do not react or approve of something negative. I will be checking, and that is not how we are going to be as a team.”
The new coach stressed to the players present the need for them to set an example for younger players, as far back as the elementary grades, as building the youth program from grades 3-4-5-6 and up is crucial to maintaining success.
“I want us to have a freshman team, too, and a junior varsity team,” Morrow said. “Wins don’t matter at that level, but developing your skills to make you ready for varsity is.”
Morrow said the contacts in the coaching circles he had spoken to or heard from were universal in their approval of his choice of Perry. Ashley Fricke will serve as one assistant coach, with Morrow hoping to attract at least two others to help with the team.
“Everyone talks about the proud tradition here, and that you can win games at Perry, and I truly feel this is the right fit for me,” he said. “We have work to do — and we are going to work hard, I guarantee you — but we are also going to have fun, which is the whole point of playing basketball.”
