Providence Grove names new boys basketball coach

CLIMAX — Cyle Cassidy has used the same motto when coaching a high school basketball team. 

“Put in the time and put in the work,” Cassidy said last week after being named the head boys varsity basketball coach at Providence Grove High School. “The more work you put in in the offseason, the better you’re going to be. The offseason was the biggest help to my game.”

After graduating from Randleman High School in 2017, where he played under Daniel Mitchell, Cassidy went to Randolph Community College before accepting a position at PGHS. 

He has been the program’s head jayvee boys coach the past three years and that should serve him well as he transitions to the varsity program.

“I spent (2022) as an assistant with Mitchell and we use a lot of drills I did in high school,” Cassidy said. “A lot of drills are drills Coach Mitchell did with us.”

Cassidy says he has a big advantage stepping into the varsity role since he already knows the players.

“I am familiar with all the guys we got,” he said. “I think having all those guys coming back and they enjoyed playing for me is a huge advantage. I am really excited and looking forward to this. I’m familiar with the whole team.”

The Patriots are coming off an impressive 17-9 season in which they won the Central Carolina Conference regular season championship, finishing 11-1 in the CCC.

However, the core group has graduated, including The Randolph Hub Player of the Year Will Dabbs, Andrew Thomas, Gabe McCoy and Cam Jones. That will leave a lot of holes offensively and defensively.

“We’re going to be a younger team,” Cassidy said. “We don’t have a deep sophomore group. We have a deep junior class and some of the seniors are going to have to step up. We definitely have the guys who can potentially fill those shoes.”

Cassidy said he had not officially met with the team as of late last week, but that should take place sometime this week. He has had some informal conversations with players at school.

There isn’t a lot of time for everyone to get on the same page as the Patriots are scheduled for a Jamboree on June 12 and 13.

“We’re going to put in as much work as possible to get ready for next year,” Cassidy said. 

The first-year head varsity coach says he’s fit in well at Providence Grove.

“With Providence Grove being so close to Randleman, I have bought into their culture,” Cassidy said. “I feel more of a part of a community than I have ever been.”