COACHING CHANGES

for me is a sanctuary.”

Olds said he’d previously applied for coaching openings at Monarch and was a finalist for the Boulder job after former coach Riley Grabau left in March of 2020.

Hearing about the Skyline job, he said he was encouraged to apply by the school’s girls coach Jason Maguire. The two have a connection through their time spent at Lyons.

“I’ve known Jason for a while, so I texted him to ask if he was going to apply for the job over there,” Olds said. “He said, ‘No, I’m going to stick with the girls, but I think you should apply for it.’”

Olds’ hiring followed Cerveny’s departure to take over the girls program at Erie.

The craftsman who built up the Falcons and led them to three winning campaigns in his seven-season tenure is looking to provide some stability for a team that has seen three different head coaches in the past three years.

“The Erie girls job is an elite program,” Cerveny said.

“I’ve watched them. These girls’ demeanor, competitiveness is elite. Right away that was a draw.”

Cerveny admitted leaving the Falcons was an emotional decision.

He has two daughters who are expected to go through Erie, which also factored into his decision.

For his first season with the Tigers, Cerveny said he believes the team will be competitive in every game. Last winter, they finished 7-17.

“I’ve already had six or seven workouts with them, and I fully expect a competitive team that wins ball games,” he said.

“They’re showing up, working hard, they’re skilled, they’re talented. I think there are good days ahead for Erie girls basketball.”