Boys basketball: Chasteen stepping down as Coppell coach

Success hasn't been an issue for Coppell's boys basketball team during the past two seasons, as the Cowboys qualified for the playoffs in both years and saw coach Brad Chasteen earn his 500th career victory.

But when Chasteen was presented with an opportunity to continue coaching "in a different venue", it was an offer he couldn't pass up.

As a result, Chasteen is stepping down as Coppell's coach after 16 seasons to work for a non-profit organization that will include the coaching of the organization's travel basketball teams (the Flower Mound Rebels during the fall and the Texas Lightning during the spring).

"It wasn't a situation where I was looking to leave Coppell at all," Chasteen said. "To quote the Godfather, they made me an offer I couldn't refuse. It was something I had to do for myself and family."

Chasteen said a friend he has known for years offered him the position and the long-term security that came with it.

"It's a full-time position," Chasteen said. "He has a collection of kids that I'll be working with for basketball with those teams and I'll also be involved in some other projects.

"Coppell has treated me like gold and was the job of a lifetime. I hate to leave and if I was younger, I wouldn't be doing this. But I feel like this is really a great way to kind of bridge the gap to retirement and was something I couldn't pass up."

The position allows Chasteen -- and his wife Kathy, who coaches at Coppell Middle School North -- to stay in the area.

Chasteen also believes the time was right with the position of Coppell's basketball program.

"We had a good couple of past years and the team next year is looking good," he said. "It's isn't like the new coach they hire is going to be coming into a program that is in shambles or has any problems."

Chasteen steps down with 529 career victories, including just fewer than 400 in his 16 years at Coppell.

"My time at Coppell has been incredible," he said. "The type of kids I get to work with are unimaginable. Other coaches always ask me 'How do you get your kids to play so hard?' I don't. It's because of the quality of kids and their families that I get to work with.

"It's hard for me to pin down a favorite team or moment or anything like that. I got to coach one of my sons, which was a thrill, and I have four kids that I raised here. I got to work with administrators like Buddy Echols and Jeff Turner and am super fortunate to have worked with two of the best athletic directors there are in John Crawford (current) and Joe Barnett."

Chasteen will run the basketball camps during the summer and help the transition with the new coach through July 1.

Chasteen added that while he had mixed emotions early in the process, he has come to grips with his decision.

"I thought I was going to be very sad but to tell you the truth, I actually feel pretty comfortable with the decision," he said. "The toughest part for me was telling the kids that I was leaving ... even though I know they probably threw a party when I left the room."

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