Chad DeBruyn steps down as Cheyenne South boys basketball coach

DeBruyn did not reply to messages from WyoSports seeking comment for this story.

In an email Friday afternoon, South athletics director Wendy Johnson praised DeBruyn for what he brought to the table both on and off the court.

"I appreciated the efforts he was making to not only teach our athletes the game of basketball, but to also help and guide them in individual learning skills needed as young adults in the near future," Johnson wrote. "It's easy to focus on wins and losses, but learning how to deal with adversity and rise above, how to be proactive for yourself and communication skills (are also important).

"Chad is a knowledgeable, skilled basketball coach and we are appreciative of all he did not only for the boys basketball program at South but also the girls program when he was head coach for them."

DeBruyn also was South’s girls head coach from 2016-21 and accumulated a 38-96 record. He stepped away from coaching for one year because he thought the Lady Bison needed a fresh voice after graduating a sizable and experienced senior class.

He was drawn back to coaching the following year when South’s boys job came open.

“I knew at some point there’d be an opportunity at South,” DeBruyn said when he was hired to coach the Bison boys. “I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to finish my teaching and coaching careers at South. … The kids have voted me to be graduation speaker, which is always quite the honor. I feel very at home at South.

“The opportunity (to coach again) presented itself, so it worked out perfectly.”

DeBruyn — who teaches social studies at South — also was an assistant for South’s boys, Cheyenne Central’s girls and had stops in Rawlins and Yuma, Colorado.