May 8, 2021
By Fred Liggett
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The boys basketball program at Summit Christian Academy made a lot of news this past season as the Eagles advanced to the State Final Four where they finished third to cap a successful 2020-21 season.
On April 26 the team made some more news as the school announced Chad Friess as the new boys basketball coach. Friess is a familiar name to Eagles fans as he spent the previous four seasons as the girls head basketball coach at Summit Christian. Friess had a winning record of 54-39 over the four year period.
Chad Friess, who played basketball as a student at Sterling College, knows his new task won’t be an easy one. Friess says “coming into a situation where a team had two all-state kids on the roster, a challenge.” The new coach feels the 2021-22 season presents “a unique opportunity.” Coach Friess’ philosophy is a simple one stating, “I want the Eagles to play fast, spread it out a lot, play hard and be fun to watch.”
Summit Christian had the chance to make Coach Friess in charge of the boys program four years ago. Friess applied for the position while still in central Kansas close to where he went to college. Friess admits “my passion is to coach a boys team, always wanted to guide a program. Friess was asked to be girls coach and he thought it would help him “be able to get a foot in the door.” Friess went on to reward Summit Christian by guiding the girls program to over 50 wins in those four years. Now in charge of a successful boys program Eagles fans await the results his teams will achieve on the court.
