Schachter selected as Mesa’s new hoops coach

Barry Faulkner

Ryan Schachter, a former University High boys basketball standout who

has been a varsity assistant coach at Uni and Santa Barbara High, as

well as on NAIA national championship team at Concordia University in

2002-03, is the new Costa Mesa High boys basketball coach.

Schachter, 26, replaces Bob Serven, who resigned after five

seasons and is now a varsity assistant at Mater Dei High. Schachter,

a Costa Mesa resident, will teach special education at Costa Mesa.

Schachter, who said he will emphasize defense, offensive

efficiency and consistent competitive intensity from his players, is

excited about taking over a program that returns four full-time

starters from last year’s 17-10 season.

“I knew they had won 17 games and had a lot of guys returning,”

Schachter said of his initial research into the Costa Mesa opening.

“To me, it looked like a great opportunity to step in and keep going

from where the previous coach left off.”

Schachter said he prefers man-to-man defense to zone, which will

be a change for the Mustangs, who relied on a versatile and

aggressive two-three zone for much of their success under Serven.

“I know they have been successful with what they’ve done in the

past and I don’t want to change some of that,” Schachter said. “But,

at the same time, I want the kids to understand things are going to

be done differently.”

Schachter said he plans to run a motion offense and believes point

guard Brian Molina, who will be a junior, as well as 6-foot-3 forward

Jeff Waldron, who will be a senior, have already shown they can be

productive in that scheme.

Schachter has also been impressed with the play of returning

starters Scott Knox and Tony Krikorian, both of whom will be junior

guards.

“I expect our guys to play defense and, along with that, to

compete in every practice and every game,” Schachter said. “The day

we don’t compete is the day we stop making progress.”

Schachter’s progress toward a head-coaching job began in high

school, he said, when the 5-foot-11, two-time All-Pacific Coast

League performer overcame three knee surgeries to lead University in

rebounding as a senior.

“I knew my playing days were going to end in high school,” said

Schachter, already known by Mesa players as “Coach Shack.”

As a student at UC Santa Barbara, Schachter began his coaching

career as the freshman coach at Santa Barbara High in the 1997-98

season. The next two years, he coached the sophomore team, then was

the junior varsity coach. He guided one sophomore team, as well as

his only junior varsity squads to Channel League titles and his last

three years at the school included working as a varsity assistant for

Dons Coach Steve Lavender, in addition to his lower-level

head-coaching responsibilities. In his three seasons as a varsity

assistant, the Dons went to the CIF Southern Section quarterfinals

each year.

After graduating from UCSB, he was hired as an assistant at

Concordia and worked there two seasons, the latter a 36-4 campaign

that culminated in winning the NAIA tournament in 2003.

While he loved recruiting at Concordia, he said he realized he

preferred coaching and teaching high school kids. He took his first

teaching job at University in the fall of 2003 and helped his former

prep coach, Mike Dinneen, with last year’s varsity team at the

Irvine-based school.

Dinneen believes Schachter will enjoy success at Costa Mesa.

“He’s going to do a great job,” Dinneen said. “He’s very dedicated

and he’s a very hard worker.”

Schachter said he will not mirror the frenetic pace Dinneen’s

University teams have used for more than a decade.

“I’d like our team to score in the 60s, not the 80s and 90s like

University did and not like the 50s that Costa Mesa has scored [in

recent years],” Schachter said.

Sharif Abedrabo and Danny Krikorian, both former Mustang players

who graduated in 2003, are assisting Schachter with the summer

schedule.

Danny Krikorian, however, is still playing at Chapman University

and Schachter said he plans to hire lower-level coaches.