By Matthew Hatfield

Correspondent

The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy boys basketball team has a new head coach and didn’t have to go far to find him.  In fact, he previously coached at a conference rival.

That person is Chris Fuhrmann, arriving in Suffolk after previously coaching at Western Branch High School in Chesapeake and most recently Hampton Roads Academy.

“It’s been a whirlwind the past couple weeks.  It was not an easy call at all, but it seemed right because the location was tough on our family.  It’s at least 35 minutes for me to get to (HRA),” noted Fuhrmann, who resides in neighboring Chesapeake.

“This past year was the first time that my daughter has been at school with me.  When we’re working out, she can’t stay there with me the whole time since we get out of practice sometimes around 7 or 8:00 at night.  That meant somebody in my family would have to drive all the way out there.  They were going to support me no matter what, but with my daughter going into kindergarten next year, the timing was right.”

Fuhrmann, 34, becomes the third coach in as many seasons for the Saints.  He follows the likes of Lamont Strothers and Larry Ward, now coaching at Menchville High School and Norfolk Christian, respectively.  Travel also played a big part in Ward’s decision to depart from NSA and go to Norfolk Christian, closer to his Virginia Beach home.

“When Larry left to go to Norfolk Christian, it was totally unexpected and out of blue to me,” Fuhrmann said.  “NSA is only about 15 minutes from my house.  I’ve known Kim Aston (Head of Upper School at NSA) for a while and we communicated.  They want someone who will be here for a while and that’s my plan.  I’m definitely excited.”

Fuhrmann comes from a basketball family.  His father, Jeff Fuhrmann, coached at both Portsmouth Christian and Atlantic Shores.  Jeff also was a member of Old Dominion University’s basketball team that won the Division II National Championship in 1975 and later was inducted into the ODU Sports Hall of Fame.

In three seasons at Western Branch, the younger Fuhrmann went 52-44 overall.  He guided HRA to a 50-45 overall record during his four seasons there, which included a TCIS regular season title.

Multi-sport athletes who’ll be hitting the gridiron soon – such as sophomores George Pettaway, Keamauri Spencer and Jaden Freeman – figure to play integral roles for the basketball team this coming winter.