After 22 seasons, Dave Bechler has stepped down as boys basketball coach at Eastern Mennonite High School. Former Eastern Mennonite University assistant coach Chad Seibert was hired in May to lead the program.
“I mean, it was a complicated decision and the truth of the matter is I probably contemplated it for months and years, actually, and just feels like a good time to go out on my own terms, which is important to do, in my mind,” the 49-year-old Bechler said in a March 31 article in the Daily News Record. “… And the other reality is that I’m just kind of tired. I’m not really looking forward to the offseason workouts that need to begin right now. It’s just a long grind.”
Bechler will remain the school’s athletic director, a position he’s held outright since 1999. He and Christy Neff had shared the role as co-ADs from 1996 until then.
He walks away with a 341-291 career record over 26 seasons at the high school level, including a 268-283 mark at EMHS.
“I’ve been around long enough never to say never, but at this time I’m not looking for anything,” Bechler said. “I’m just ready to take a break from coaching.”
Bechler leaving the program coincides with the upcoming graduation of his son, Brett, a four-year guard at the varsity level and a two-time all-state selection for EMHS.
But their dual departure from EMHS wasn’t intentional, the elder Bechler said. “A lot of people have asked me that and kind of assume that and that’s never been part of the plan, to be honest,” he said. “Like I said, it kind of feels right right now.”
Still, being able to coach Brett — who is deciding between playing at Eastern Mennonite University and Lancaster Bible College, according to Dave — was undoubtedly a memorable experience.
“Not many fathers get that opportunity to coach their son,” Bechler said. “It wasn’t easy by any means and it probably made things more difficult at times, but it was very rewarding and I appreciate the good Lord allowing me to last long enough to be able to coach him in high school. It was a good time.”
Although Brett suffered a season-ending wrist injury after 15 games, the Flames earned the Virginia Independent Conference tournament’s No. 3 seed this past season. They routed Holy Cross in the conference quarterfinals before falling to Carlisle in the semifinals. The Flames finished 18-10 with a 77-67 road loss to Amelia Academy in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II first round, making their fourth consecutive state tournament appearance.
Bechler won his ninth VIC Coach of the Year honor this past season and also holds the EMHS program record for career wins — although Ron Koppenhaver (194-59 from 1970-79) and Tom Baker (106-61 from 1987-92) have higher winning percentages. Since the program was started in 1970, Koppenhaver was the only one of the Flames’ first five coaches to coach more than six seasons before Bechler.
“Congratulations to Dave. He left his stamp on that program over there,” Harrisonburg coach Don Burgess said. “I know he has invested a lot of time and really got that program up and going and consistently, they’re doing some great things there. His kids always got on the floor. They played hard. They were competitive and he did a nice job with his guys that he had and that’s a testament to his coaching ability and the way he was able to evolve and develop his players.”
Bechler played two years of soccer at Hesston (Junior) College in Kansas before returning to his hometown to coach high school girls basketball at Belleville (Pa.) Mennonite High School. After taking over in 1989 at Belleville, which hadn’t won a conference title since 1972, he went 73-8 over four years with three conference titles.
Bechler then went to Eastern Mennonite University as an undergraduate student and was a three-year assistant under Baker, then the Royals’ men’s basketball coach. He was named EMHS’s coach in 1996 to replace John Leonard, who had gone 3-21 the previous season, with no idea he’d last 22 years.
“I didn’t know if I’d last five at the beginning when I started,” Bechler said with a laugh. “It’s hard to say how long you’ll last. You just start coaching because you enjoy it and every year goes by and it goes by pretty quick, to be honest.”
He reflected on memories he created at both Belleville and EMHS, ranging from wins to bus trips and friendships and the dedication he received from his players.
“That’s pretty cool and I admit that I’ll probably miss parts of it,” Bechler said, “but a lot of work goes in [than] just the games and that’s probably what I’m least willing to do right now, is all the offseason preparation that goes into coaching right now. I don’t know what’ll happen in the future, but I’m looking forward to not doing anything this spring and summer and fall, for sure, with coaching.”
This article, originally published March 30, 2018, in the Daily News-Record, has been modified to reflect recent developments. Phil D’Abbraccio is the author.