Schachter leaves Mesa for CdM

The Newport-Mesa boys’ basketball coaching scene is starting to resemble a game of musical chairs. Unfortunately for Costa Mesa, two of its highly regarded young head coaches have skipped town for Newport Beach.

A week after Estancia High’s Jason Simco announced he was resigning as the Eagles boys’ basketball coach, Ryan Schachter said he left his job as Costa Mesa High’s boys’ basketball coach and special education teacher to take over the same positions at Corona del Mar High. Five-year Corona del Mar Coach Ryan Curry vacated the coaching position in mid-May to relocate.

Schachter, who led Costa Mesa to a share of the Golden West League title in just his second year at the helm last season, said he brought in Simco to be an assistant.

Simco said he resigned from his position at Estancia in order to go back to school and concentrate on getting a special-education teaching credential, and added that he was open to being an assistant somewhere. Schachter was listening.

“I saw the article in the Daily Pilot about him resigning,” Schachter said. “Jason and I are good friends. As soon as that happened, I asked him if he’d like to help out. It’s a step back in terms of time and commitment for him, and I know that’s what he wanted.”

“We’d been talking about the possibility a little bit, then he saw the article and said come check it out,” Simco said.

Schachter and Simco went head-to-head the last two seasons coaching teams that are cross-town rivals. Costa Mesa and Estancia split their two games last season.

“We’re just coaches, the rivalry will always be there,” Schachter said. “The rivalry doesn’t change, the faces do. We’ve developed a friendship competing against each other.”

Simco said he choose the Corona del Mar position over a possible position as an assistant with the Estancia girls’ basketball team.

“I had to get away from Estancia, it’s hard to watch the guys I coached and not be in charge,” Simco said.

With Simco joining Schachter at Corona del Mar, expectations will be lofty. Combined, the coaches have a record of 71-40 the last two years.

“We have one goal at Corona del Mar, to win a CIF championship,” Schachter said.

Schachter employed an up-tempo, run-and-gun style that featured pressure defense to help Costa Mesa capture the school’s second league title in 46 years. The team finished 17-10, losing to El Segundo, 53-41, in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division III-A playoffs.

Schachter said he plans to adapt to the kids at Corona del Mar rather than institute the fast-paced style he used at Costa Mesa.

Slated to return for Corona del Mar, which tied for second place at 9-3 in the Pacific Coast League last year, are post players Stefan Kaluz and John Joyce. Kaluz, a 6-foot-7 center, averaged 14.9 points and a team-leading 8.1 rebounds per game last year as a sophomore. The 6-6, 230-pound Joyce averaged 3.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a junior.

“We have two big guys to work with, and Eric Rask as the returning starting point guard. We have different personnel [than at Costa Mesa], so we’ll use a different style. We want to spread the floor and go inside,” Schachter said. “If the post guys don’t touch the ball at least every other possession, then we’re getting away from what we want to do. We want to get the ball in front of the rim. We’ll probably only shoot about a quarter as many three-pointers as we did at Mesa.”

Corona del Mar Boys’ Athletic Director Jerry Jelnick thinks Schachter will keep the Sea Kings on the right path. Corona del Mar was 16-11 last year, but fell to Gahr in the first round of the CIF Division III-AA playoffs.

“He did a nice job of interviewing, I think he’ll do a fine job here like he did at Costa Mesa,” Jelnick said.dpt.29-schacter_simco-BPhotoInfo801SESET20060629iulkq7ncMARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Former Costa Mesa Coach Ryan Schachter, left, and former Estancia Coach Jason Simco have joined forces and will lead Corona del Mar next season.