As of Monday, Sept. 15, there is a new head boys' basketball coach at The Community School in Sun Valley.
Headmaster Andy Jones-Wilkins and athletic director John Remington jointly announced that 52-year-old Ed Flory has been selected to replace Mike Wade, the 25-year Cutthroat head coach who essentially founded the program.
In a letter to students, faculty, staff and parents, Jones-Wilkins said that Remington has determined that it's time for a change in direction in the school's boys' basketball program. So, the headmaster wrote, after "25 extraordinary years" Wade is stepping down.
Wade (108-179 in 15 varsity seasons, 53-109 in 10 JV campaigns) put the Cutthroats on the map as a basketball school and took teams to two state tournaments, in 2004 (21-7, 2-2 state) and 1998 (15-11, 2-2 state).
Ketchum's Jim Carkonen, Wade's assistant and JV coach for three seasons from 2002-05, returns as JV coach for Flory.
Flory, a native of Chambersburg, Pa., inherits a Cutthroat program that graduated five seniors from last winter's 13-7 team—only the fifth winning season in 15 varsity years. But he is familiar with the program and with coaching itself.
A basketball point guard at Chambersburg High School, he competed in college swimming at Kutztown (Pa.) University. He holds a master's degree in natural health and a minor in athletic coaching. Flory started coming to Sun Valley in 1985 and for 22 years has been involved in teaching and coaching swimming locally.
He returned to basketball from 1998-2003 as associate head coach for Division 3 Penn State-Mont Alto. In 2004 Flory moved back West as assistant basketball coach to Idaho Stampede coach Joe Wolf in the Continental Basketball Association. Flory then followed Wolf to the Colorado 14ers of the NBA Development League.
Flory said he is enthusiastic about his first high school coaching job. "I've known The Community School's program and the kids in it for 20 years. I think it will be fun," he said.
