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The first basketball team Chris Madson ever coached was a Jr. Warriors team during the 2010-11 season that had struggled the year before.
“We had a massively successful season,” Madson recalled. “I guess the season before that they didn’t win a game. We won our first game, and the place went crazy. I didn’t know what was going on.”
Madson will coach many of those same players during their senior season next year. He was named McHenry’s boys basketball coach Wednesday.
The 26-year-old served as an assistant to former head coach Tim Paddock for the previous three seasons and played three years of varsity ball at McHenry. He is a former Northwest Herald All-Area performer and helped the program secure its first regional title in 31 years as a senior in 2008-09.
Athletic director Barry Burmeister introduced Madson to the players Wednesday before school.
“I was looking for a quality person to lead the future of our boys basketball program,” Burmeister said. “I really didn’t have to look too far to find him because he was right here in our family already.
“He’s a McHenry guy. He went to our school, played at our program. He played at the highest level when he was here.”
Madson takes over for Paddock, who resigned after 13 seasons. The Warriors went 18-12 last season, their best in Paddock’s tenure. Paddock was 144-222 in his 13 seasons, winning regional titles in 2009 and 2012.
Madson had flashbacks when Burmeister introduced him to the team Wednesday.
“I remember in eighth grade when Coach Paddock came here and talked to us,” Madson said. “The full circle of it is phenomenal. When you’re from the community, it gives you that little kick to go above 100 percent on everything you do.”
Madson played three years of college ball at Division III Lake Forest College, where he was a team captain and won a Midwest Conference basketball title in 2011.
During his sophomore year, he returned home and played at McHenry County College for one season. That’s when Paddock set him up with the Jr. Warriors coaching gig. He coached returning varsity starters Gavin Markgraff, Gio Calabrese and Maki Mohr, among others.
Those players came to watch him play at Lake Forest during his junior and senior seasons, and he returned to watch them play when he could. He is thankful to Paddock – whom he still calls “coach” – for bringing him back as a varsity assistant out of college.
Madson and next year’s seniors look to keep raising the bar at McHenry.
“Making it to the regional championship (last season) was a great experience for them,” Madson said. “The bar again needs to be raised for the next coming year. For them, their sights are on regionals and the Fox Valley championship.”
Madson lives in McHenry and teaches at McHenry West. His fiancée, Lexi Stray, is a dance coach at Crystal Lake Central. Madson teaches social science and next year will spend part of his time coaching digital literacy for teachers, helping them use technology in the classroom.
Burmeister, who was the McHenry boys basketball coach from 2000 to 2004, said Madson’s age was never a knock against his chances to land the job.
“He’s a good, young coach,” Burmeister said. “I’m excited for Chris, but more importantly I’m excited for the players, the school and the whole community because of what Chris brings to the table as a head coach.”