Former OPS star tapped as Cavaliers basketball coach
By EMERY GLOVER, T&D Sports Writer Tuesday, July 14, 2009ST. MATTHEWS -- Scott Weaver is no stranger to Calhoun Academy basketball.
As an assistant for the Cavaliers’ program, he helped the team finish with a record of 15-9 overall and 8-2 in Region 2-AA, which was good enough to reach the SCISA state tournament. This year, he’ll take the reigns of a young team that is hungry for progress.
“He’s been (Ben Hooker’s) assistant for the two years that he was here,” Calhoun Academy athletic director Adam Jarecki said. “He helped Ben get the program headed in the right direction. He teaches a lot of fundamentals and he does a good job.”
As a familiar face to the Cavalier players, having Weaver as a head coach should be seemless as most of Calhoun’s previous offensive and defensive schemes will remain the same. Still, the biggest challenge won’t be learning or teaching the playbook.
“We are losing seven seniors,” Weaver said. “I love all seven of those boys like their my little brothers. With that being said, there’s not a single one of them that can’t be replaced. The biggest thing is finding the pieces to do it.”
Weaver may be a familiar face to some outside of Calhoun Academy as well. The former OPS Indian center was a T&D All-Area selection in 2002, a two-time All-Region player and a two-time North-South All-Star. Weaver went on to play basketball at Brewton Parker College and Newberry College. Having no prior head coaching experience, Weaver believes his basketball background will help him tremendously.
“At this level, the better drill runner you are, the better coach you’re going to be,” Weaver said.
“There’s a reason Zam Fredrick has won the way he’s won. He can demonstrate techniques and go through drills the way only a guy who’s led the nation in scoring can do. For me to have played at a higher level, it’s definitely going to help my guys.”
Calhoun Academy has been the runner-up in their region for the past two years and it is Weaver’s hope that they can continue to move forward.
“Pretty much, my focus is on the basketball team as a whole,” Weaver said. “I plan on building on the foundation of back-to-back region runner-up finishes and the state playoffs. After going 12-4 in the region for the last two years with back-to-back runner-ups, it’s time for a region title. Whether it comes this year or not, I don’t know. I won’t make predictions, but we’re going to work hard.”
n T&D Sports Writer Emery Glover can be reached by e-mail at eglover@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5532. Check out his blog, Cover 2, at www.thetandd.com.
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