Clarks Summit has named Brian Deschaine as the head men's basketball coach. He will be the ninth head coach in the program's history.
Deschaine is familiar to the Defender way as he served as an assistant men's basketball coach under Mike Show in 2006-2007. He replaces Joel Nietz, who replaced Show in 2014-15 and coached the Defenders to a 1-24 mark this past season. Baptist Bible/Clarks Summit was 7-93 in Nietz's four seasons (.070).
"I am very excited to announce Brian Deschaine as our new head men's basketball coach," said athletic director Wes Uffelman. "He has established a high level of excellence both on and off the court at every program he has been a part of and has a proven track record of developing and preparing athletes for life outside of basketball."
Deschaine has spent the past six years leading the men's basketball team at Grace Christian Academy in Waldorf, Maryland. Under his leadership, the Knights have won numerous regular season conference and tournament championships. Deschaine's teams have fared well outside of their conference, winning the Mid-East Regional Christian Schools Tournament in 2017 and earning runner-up in the 2015 Division I Maryland Christian State Tournament.
Before his time at Grace Christian Academy, Deschaine spent a year in Bangladesh at the William Carey Academy developing both boys' and girls' basketball programs.
For three years, Clinton Christian School saw Deschaine at the helm of their boys' basketball program, where they were ranked in the state and were both regular season and tournament champions.
Deschaine got his coaching start at Harmony Christian School, where he led a successful high school boy's program for four years.
As a four year letter winner and three year starter, Deschaine played college basketball at Eastern Nazarene, where he was a member of the 1996-97 ECAC championship team.
Deschaine graduated from Eastern Nazarene in 2000 with a B.A. in psychology. After going back to school a few years later, he graduated from then-Baptist Bible (now Clarks Summit) with a B.S and M.A. in health and physical education in 2007.
Serving in a number of capacities besides basketball coach, Deschaine has also worked as an athletic director, director of student affairs, physical education teacher and secondary principal. Deschaine also spent 2001-2005 in the United States Army Reserves.