43
Fitch returns home to Champion
By TIM CLEVELANd
CHAMPION
The old saying goes that when a door closes, a window opens.
A personal need led Ryan Fitch to resign as boys basketball coach at Pymatuning Valley High School. By coincidence, the same job at Champion opened up when the school declined to renew Doug Foster’s contract for a third season.
Fitch, a 1995 Champion graduate, jumped at the chance to coach at his alma mater and has taken control of the program.
“It was more or less the travel,” he said of why he wanted the job. “I live in Howland and the travel got to be too much driving to Andover six days a week.
“I saw the Champion job open. That’s my alma mater and I decided to apply for it.
“It’s always something special going back home to coach,” Fitch said. “I was going to take an assistant job before I saw the job opening. It’s the education I got there that prepared me for the future. I want to give back to the kids and the whole community of Champion.”
Champion athletic director Tim Cope said Fitch was easily the choice of himself and the school board when they were deciding what direction to go.
“We started to interview the first part of May,” Cope said. “We had a couple applicants apply and decided to go with Ryan due to the records he posted as a head coach.
“He’s a Champion grad. He’s also the only Champion boys basketball player to be named Trumbull County player of the year. It’s good to get a hometown person back.”
Fitch brings a strong record to the Golden Flashes. In four seasons at Pymatuning Valley, he led the Lakers to a 61-27 record, including 18-6 this season. PV won two tournament games in Fitch’s four years.
Champion had a difficult 2012-13 season, finishing 3-19. Despite that, Fitch said he believes the potential is there for improvement.
“There’s a group of two or three kids returning from last year to build around,” Fitch said. “There’s also a nice group coming up. My staff and I can pick up where [Foster] left off and build in that direction.”
Fitch added that he and his staff plan to jump right in in getting the Golden Flashes involved with playing stiffer competition.
“This summer we’re going to two different camps — at Penn State-Behrend and at Gannon University, plus playing in a Youngstown summer league,” Fitch said. “It’ll be a good, productive summer and allow these kids to play good competition. Hopefully that will allow that to pay off for us.”
Cope said while he has high expectations for Fitch, he will be given the time he needs to get the program back to prominence.
“We have high expectations for Coach Fitch,” Cope said. “He wants to develop a program starting with the lower levels.
“He’s a community person. He’s well respected throughout the community. No matter the coach, it takes a couple years to get the system implemented.”