Ryan Dicharry steps down as head boys basketball coach at East Jefferson

A long and distinguished coaching run has come to an end in Metairie.

East Jefferson head boys basketball coach Ryan Dicharry has stepped down after 18 years in charged of the Warriors.

Dicharry has been at East Jefferson for 23 years, the last 18 as head coach.

The decision was all about spending quality time with his family.

“When I told our players about it, I knew I had made the right decision,” Dicharry said. “They understood it completely and were excited for me. I thought about it at the end of last year. It is a full-time job, year-round. If we were not out of school right now, we would be busy with spring ball.”

Dicharry will now have quality time with his two sons.

“It is all about spending time with my 10 and eight-year old sons,” Dicharry said. “My wife works full time and it has been taxing. It is so important to spend quality time. I am still going to teach and not coach, for now. My sons had a doubleheader game on a Friday night this past season and I had to miss them due to coaching our team at East Jefferson. That was tough. It hit home.”

Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame inductee Jim Robarts hired Dicharry at East Jefferson for the 1997-98 season as an assistant coach after Dicharry had spent a year as an assistant coach at De La Salle. When Robarts stepped down in 2002, Dicharry took over as head coach.

Dicharry credits Robarts for the career he has enjoyed in coaching.

“He is my mentor,” Dicharry said. “We still talk just about every day. He always told me that he thought I would make a good coach. He took me under his wing and taught me most of the things that I know. He gave me my chance. I am forever grateful to Coach Robarts, a great man and coach.”

Dicharry played high school basketball at Archbishop Rummel under Robarts and Rusty Jones from 1987-90.

Dicharry played college basketball at the University of New Orleans under Tim Floyd (1990-91) before transferring to Loyola (1992-95), where he starred. Dicharry was inducted into the Loyola basketball Hall of Fame in 2000.

While Dicharry is done for now as a coach, is he done forever in that capacity?

“You never say never,” Dicharry said. “I love coaching but there are more important things, at this point. This was a 100 percent family decision. I could see myself coaching again once our sons are grown if an opportunity presented itself.”

Dicharry posted 348 victories at East Jefferson, including eight 20-win seasons.

Dicharry has been fortunate to have Bill Lott as his top assistant for all 18 seasons in a very tough league, whether 4A or 5A which included Landry-Walker, Bonnabel, Chalmette, Helen Cox, Higgins, West Jefferson and Grace King, among others.

“I’m so thankful for Bill,” Dicharry said. “I don’t know if I would have made it without him. He is a great basketball mind who knows the game and is extremely reliable. While teams in our league would have staff changes annually, we had him and the stability was huge.”

East Jefferson reached the Class 5A state championship game in 2014, losing to Landry-Walker in the Class 4A final. The Warriors reached the quarterfinals in 2012.

Under Dicharry, the Warriors made the playoffs 14 times in 18 seasons, winning seven district championships.

Dicharry coached outstanding players, including Michael Bates, Jeremy Clark, Shaquille Preston and Curtis Anderson, along with brothers Anthony and Jeremy Johnson.

“It has been an absolute pleasure and I cannot thank everyone involved at East Jefferson for giving me this great opportunity,” Dicharry said.