LINCOLN, Maine — Chris Bryant hopes to bring some of the success he recently experienced as a first-year varsity baseball coach indoors next winter at Mattanawcook Academy.
The 31-year-old Bryant, who guided the MA baseball team to a 14-4 record this spring, was approved as the Lynx’ new boys varsity basketball coach by the RSU 67 board of directors Thursday night.
“My goal was to be a head basketball coach, and I was hoping to do it before 30 but I guess 32 is not bad,” said Bryant, whose birthday comes at the end of June.
The Mattanawcook basketball program is coming off a tumultuous 2014-15 campaign. The Lynx finished 1-17 during a season that reached its nadir with a controversial Jan. 23 loss to Houlton from which video clips of team members using unsportsmanlike tactics against the Shiretowners drew statewide criticism after being posted on social media.
The incident led to the resignation of sixth-year head coach Ryan Libby and the suspension of two players from the team.
Bryant, who became the varsity baseball coach this year after two seasons as a junior varsity coach in that sport for the Lynx, addressed the fallout from the basketball season with his players throughout the spring.
“It was a challenging [basketball] season for them, and I had all of those kids for baseball this spring and it was the first thing we talked about,” he said. “One of our central themes as we went through the baseball season was how you deal with frustration and how you control your emotions.
“A lot of our goals this season were surrounding those ideas and not necessarily baseball, and that definitely helped in what we were trying to do and the atmosphere we’re trying to create.”
The MA baseball team finished third in the final Eastern C Heal point ratings and advanced to the regional semifinals where the Lynx fell to No. 2 George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill 2-1 in 11 innings last Saturday.
“It was an amazing year,” said Bryant, who also plans to continue his baseball coaching duties at MA. “I know every one of those kids who were in the videos and I was very impressed with the changes they made and the steps they took in the right direction. I think anybody that looked at our baseball team this year saw nothing but class and character and composure, and that was our goal.”
Bryant’s familiarity with Mattanawcook Academy extends beyond his relationship with the baseball program.
The Bangor resident previously taught biology in Lincoln for four years before leaving that job to stay home with his daughter Zoey, now almost 2.
During that teaching stint, he served as Mattanawcook’s girls junior varsity basketball coach for three years before spending the last two seasons as the JV boys coach at his alma mater, Mount View High School of Thorndike.
Mattanawcook graduated five seniors from last year’s roster, and next winter will become one of 13 Big East Conference schools competing in Class B North under the new five-class system for high school basketball approved this spring by the Maine Principals’ Association.
MA will be the third-smallest school by enrollment in its division.
“I definitely see potential in the program, no doubt,” said Bryant. “I have a lot of relationships that I’ve built with student-athletes in the area from when I taught there and from baseball, and I really like the core that’s returning.
“That being said, I do understand that they were 1-17 in Class C and now are moving to Class B North. That will be an interesting transition, but I love basketball and I love challenges. This is an opportunity I welcome.”
