Archbishop Hannan hires two new coaches for upcoming year

Veteran coach Dale Chimento, most recently of Slidell High, will join the Archbishop Hannan basketball staff next year working under head coach Errol Gauff.

The school also hired Paul Wineski, a Holy Cross graduate, as an assistant baseball coach for Chris Yeager’s staff.

Chimento recently led Slidell High to the second round of the Class 5A playoffs and led the Tigers to a state quarterfinal appearance two years ago, which included an upset of the top-seeded East Ascension team on the road.

Chimento, who previously coached at Hannan in the 1990s, said he was looking forward to coming back to a Catholic school environment and experience the sense of community at Archbishop Hannan that he grew fond of during his first stint at the school.

“Getting back into a Catholic school environment was one of the main reasons and just being part of the Archbishop Hannan community,” Chimento said. “The students really get behind the teams and it just adds to the feeling of school spirit.

“I’m looking forward to working with coach Gauff, he has a tremendous history of being a successful coach and I just hope I can add something.”

Gauff said he was excited about what coach Chimento would bring to the basketball program.

“He has a ton of experience and knowledge,” Gauff said. “His knowledge of basketball, especially on the offensive end, he’s done some unique things offensively that people around the state really know coach Chimento for.

Gauff continued, “Overall, when it comes to our program, he is going to help our young men develop at all levels. Our kids play hard and they are willing to soak in things. He has way more experience than knowledge than I do. Our kids don’t realize the goldmine we got when coach Chimento agreed to come to Archbishop Hannan.”

Wineski joins the Hannan staff from Riverside where he has served as the Rebels’ hitting coach since September 2015. The Rebels were the 2016 Division III state semifinalists and won the 2017 state championship.

The Chalmette-native joins Yeager’s staff next year, following the Hawks’ most recent successful season that came to an end in the playoffs against St. Louis.