Busy summer for Monroe athletic director with four varsity coach hires

MONROE – Chet Hesson officially took over as Monroe High’s athletic director in June.

He didn’t ease into the job.

It took him about six weeks to hire four varsity head coaches.

More: Chet Hesson replaces John Ray retires as Monroe High athletic director

“It wasn’t even just varsity coaches,” Hesson said. “At one point, we had 14 coaches to hire from top to bottom. It’s the high school and the middle school, too.”

Heading the list of new hires are varsity head coaches Andre Smith for boys basketball, David Forgach for baseball, Brian Shotwell for wrestling and Amber Swinkey for competitive cheerleading.

Hesson is a big reason why Smith decided to take his first high school coaching job.

“He knows what it takes and committed to developing an untapped area,” said the 51-year-old Smith, who has nearly three decades of coaching experience in the college and professional ranks. “There is a lot of talent there and it’s a very supportive community.”

Smith played at Youngstown State and launched his coaching career as an assistant there. He later became the first men’s head coach at Lourdes University, where he crafted a 94-92 record from 2010-16.

He was also the men’s head coach at Penn State Shenango and the women’s head coach at University of Northwestern Ohio, coached in the International Basketball Association and worked as a scout both in the United States and overseas.

“This is new water for me at the high school level,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity for me. It’s a good opportunity for me to rebuild Monroe.

“It was an attractive job because of the size and diversity of the school.”

Originally from Indianapolis, Smith believes it’s time to settle down.

“At this point as I get up in age, I want to get back to teaching a little bit,” he said. “A lot of times in college and the pros, there is not a lot of teaching. I want to get back to the grass roots and teach, get more out of kids at the high school level.

“This is Year 29 for me in college and professional basketball. Being on the road away from family gets old after a while.”

Smith has a clear idea of how he will rebuild Monroe’s basketball program.

“I’m all about defense,” he said. “It’s funny because when I played in college and overseas, I was all offense. When you get to the other side and start coaching, you understand the importance of defense.”

Hesson was delighted to land Smith.

“Andre has been around the game for a long time and as a Division I player and coach, as well as a head coach and athletics administrator at multiple small college and universities,” the AD said. “His experiences and knowledge of the game will have a lasting impression on those in Monroe that are ready to put the work in that will be needed to build successful program and get to the next level. Anyone that spends five minutes with the guy will know that he's a great source of wisdom and will add value to our community.”

Like Smith, Forgach has a lot of coaching experience, but not at the high school level. He runs the Downriver Dugout baseball facility and is the Director of Operations for the Downriver Hawks.

“I have always wanted to coach at high school level,” he said. “I interviewed a few times, but nothing fit.”

He liked the fit in Monroe.

He knows the area and four of his former travel players are Monroe High students.

“I am familiar with Monroe,” he said. “My grandparents have lived there for the better part of 20 or 25 years.”

He also likes the talent in the program.

“I am pretty excited,” he said. “It’s a real opportunity. They have a good core group of talented kids.”

Hesson believes he will be a good fit for Monroe’s baseball program.

“We are fortunate to be able to recruit him to our community,” he said. “His ability to build successful businesses, coupled with his baseball acumen, will help us develop a rich talent pool.”

Shotwell is a former Monroe High wrestler, but admits he didn’t have much success on the mat.

“Oh God, no,” he said with a laugh. “But sometimes the guys who were not the best wrestlers make the best coaches and sometimes the best wrestlers are not good coaches.”

The 1997 Monroe graduate has been coaching at the lower levels for a long time.

“I have eight children and six of them are boys,” he said. “Every one of them wrestled. The oldest is 28. I started coaching him when he was six.

“All of the coaches in town know me. I’ve had a number of MIWAY state finalist teams.”

Two of his sons will be members of Monroe’s varsity squad next year. He was looking forward to watching them, then Jordan Mayes decided to step down after nine seasons.

“When we lost our coach, I wanted to make sure our team got the right support,” I love Monroe wrestling as much as anything. Most of the kids on the team I coached when they were little kids.”

That love of Monroe wrestling was a huge selling point for Hesson.

“Brian demonstrated during the interview process and beyond that he cares deeply about the wrestling community,” the AD said. “Tthe many benefits that it can bring to our boys and girls that are interesting in being part of something bigger than themselves.”

The new cheerleading coach also comes from within the Monroe Community.

The 2001 MHS graduate was a cheerleader in high school, Swinkey works as a positive school climate liaison at Custer Elementary and worked with the middle school cheerleading team.

“Amber jumped right in and is a wonderful communicator,” Hesson said. “We've seen an exciting number of student-athletes attending our clinics and try-outs.”

Swinkey can’t wait to get started.

“I am really excited,” she said.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Busy summer for Monroe athletic director with four varsity coach hires