Chardon has hired Cullen Harris as its next girls varsity basketball coach.
Harris, a 2005 graduate of Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin, will also teach special education at the high school.
“I’m excited at the great opportunity,” Harris said via cell phone. He and his wife, Ashley, live in Louisville, Kentucky but the Mentor-native has always wanted to come back to Northeast Ohio.
Harris has coached at Doss High School the past two seasons, a team that had won eight girls basketball games in the past six seasons prior to his arrival.
Last season, Doss won eight games.
“The hiring process was considerably more complicated,” wrote Athletic Director Doug Snyder in an email announcing the hiring. “Thank you all for your patience throughout this process. As I have told several of you in person over the last month, I am most confident that our patience will be rewarded!”
Harris has been an assistant coach at NDCL and Mentor since his graduation. He graduated from Bowling Green State University and has a master’s degree from Cleveland State.
He girls basketball team will have a lot of returning seniors with varsity experience, so the expectations will be high from the outset.
Harris likes a fast-paced game that relies on penetration and passing — and plenty of shots.
“Don’t be afraid to shoot the basketball,” Harris said when describing the style of play he prefers. “Get a good shot up, a lot of inside-out stuff and play with a lot of passion.”
He has not met any players yet, but remembers coaching against Kahrin Spear, who is expected to be the team’s starting point guard this fall.
Cullen and Ashley have been married for a year. They met 10 years ago in high school. Ashley went to Willoughby-South High School. The couple hope to be moved into the area by Aug. 1, he said.