Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
After the departure of head coach Luke Hickey, who took over the boys basketball program at Central Catholic, Lake athletic department officials announced the hiring of longtime Perrysburg coach Chris Stein as its new head coach on May 29.
Stein officially took over his duties on June 1 after board approval.
“I am excited to join the Lake Flyers community and become part of such a proud athletic program,” Stein said in a release. “From my conversations with Superintendent Marjoe Cooper and Athletic Director Nicole Schmeltz, it was clear there is a strong commitment to supporting student-athletes and building a successful basketball program. I am excited for the opportunity to continue my head coaching career at Lake and help take the program to the next level.”
Stein spent the 2025-26 season as the interim head coach at Perrysburg High School, taking over for longtime coach Dave Boyce, who retired in the summer of 2025. The Yellow Jackets went 17-7 overall last year, including a 13-1 mark in Northern Lakes League play, before advancing to the Division I district championship game.
Following the season, Perrysburg hired longtime former Toledo Christian head coach Dave McWhinnie as the new boys head coach.
Prior to his interim head coaching duties, Stein was an assistant varsity coach at Perrysburg since 2020, and he served as the JV head coach from 2014-20.
“Chris brings an extensive coaching background, a proven record of success, and most importantly a high-character approach to developing young men both on and off the court,” Schmeltz said. “Throughout the hiring process, it became very clear that Chris values relationships, accountability, and creating a positive experience for student-athletes. His vision aligns with what we are continuing to build within our athletic department — an environment that is student-centered and focused on growth, development and culture. We are confident that Chris will be a tremendous addition to our school community, and we are excited for him to begin working alongside our coaches, athletes and families as we continue strengthening the foundation of Lake Athletics.”
Stein was also an assistant varsity baseball coach at Perrysburg. Prior to his time there, he spent 14 years coaching both sports at St. Francis. He also did both duties at Central Catholic in 1999-2000.
“If you look at Chris and his accomplishments over the course of his career, we were excited to see his name on our applicant list,” Cooper said. “Chris is an educator first and has a track record of success and leadership that we feel will be a perfect match for our district and program. Chris loves being a part of all things inside of a school district and his attention to detail, vision for our program and overall plan for establishing an entire program from youth through his varsity team was exceptional. I know he is very excited to get going.”
