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Chase Cronin announced as new Kenwood basketball coach




Chase Cronin poses in front of the Kenwood logo.SUBMITTED

Chase Cronin poses in front of the Kenwood logo.SUBMITTED

Kenwood High School has formally introduced Chase Cronin as its new boys basketball head coach.

He will take over for former head coach Jason James, who relocated to West Tennessee after the previous season.

Cronin already has coaching experience in Clarksville; he served as an assistant coach under Tyler Hickman for the 2020-21 season. Before then, he was an assistant at Centennial High School and men’s basketball manager at Middle Tennessee State University. He also has experience coaching at the AAU level, coach Pro Skills Elite and Upward Stars.

But perhaps one of the titles that made him the go-to guy for the Knights is that he was already at Kenwood as a P.E. teacher, which allowed him to know some of his new players before becoming their head coach.

“I was in the building already as a P.E. teacher, and I kind of got familiar with the kids,” Cronin said. “Just seeing them every day, talking to them, making those relationships. The one thing that really sold me on the program was the relationship I had built with Coach James over the years, working side-by-side and seeing each other every day.”

He expects that familiarity with the students and program to give him a leg-up on becoming fully integrated into the team.

“I think the culture that we’re going to move forward with will keep kids around,” he said. “Off the floor, it’s just letting players know that they’re my guys, where my heart’s coming from, the kind of love I have for those guys. Just working for those dudes, having a real relationship with those guys. I do believe when you have a relationship, it’s much easier to cultivate what you’re trying to do.

“On the flip side of that, it’s also about creating a standard, and putting a line in the dirt for both me and the players, and we both respect those lines in our day-to-day interactions.”

Cronin hopes to continue with the values that James instilled at Kenwood before his departure.

Additionally, he will be the youngest boys basketball coach in Clarksville-Montgomery County — something he thinks will only help him benefit him and the Knights.

“I think the youth helps me, because I have a lot of energy and a lot of passion for the game right now,” Cronin said. “I plan to just pour, pour, pour into this program. Challenges, yeah, (I’m) probably young in the experience department so I’m trying to put together a staff that can also help with that.”

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