Belton named new coach at Chaminade-Madonna

After one season with legendary coach Melvin Randall at the helm, Chaminade-Madonna has hired former Fort Lauderdale coach Rich Belton to replace him.

“Coach Belton’s record of mentoring and leading student-athletes is admirable,” Chaminade athletic director Matt Bishop said in a news release. “We’re excited to see him work with our young men. We trust he’ll bring a great energy to our players and our basketball program.

Belton takes over for Randall, who said he stepped down to apply for the Dillard boys basketball job, which opened up after long-time coach Darryl Burrows retired in May.

Under Randall, Chaminade went 11-10 in 2020-21.

Randall has a career record of 604-195. He picked up his 600th career victory against Miami Gulliver Prep on Jan. 26. Prior to coaching Chaminade-Madonna, Randall had a long career at Blanche Ely and Deerfield Beach. He won nine state championships: two at Deerfield Beach and seven at Blanche Ely.

Belton spent the past seven seasons coaching the Flying L’s. Under Belton, Fort Lauderdale went 75-83. The Flying L’s had their best season under Belton in 201920, going 19-8 and earning the team’s first trip to the playoffs since 2012.

In a pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, Fort Lauderdale went 4-7.

“My relationship with basketball is about finding a healthy balance between academics, character development and completion,” Belton said in a news release. “I measure success based on the achievements of student-athletes on the court, yes, but also by the character of the student-athletes off the court. I am excited to work with the young men of Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory.”