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Spanish River makes worldly hire as boys basketball head coach

Jarrid Frye, a former professional player in Europe, Australia and China after a career at Division I Sacred Heart, has been named head boys basketball coach at Spanish River High, according to school sources.

Frye, a Sharks assistant and JV coach last season, will replace John Jones, who held the position in Boca Raton for 35 years before retiring this spring.

While the 38-year-old Frye cites his worldly basketball experience as being a big help, he also credited Jones, whom he worked under for the 2022-23 campaign.

“Replacing someone who’s done it for so long, it’s big shoes to fill,’’ Frye told The Palm Beach Post. “Last year, I didn’t know it was going to be his last year until the end of the season. Reflecting on the last season, he really catered to me, pointing out things, showing me how high school basketball runs. It was like he prepped me for the position without telling me. It made it so much easier. I have more confidence and ease going into it.’’

A native of the Maspeth neighborhood in the Queens borough of New York, Frye played high school ball in the Public School Athletic League at Martin Luther King and college at Sacred Heart in Fairfield, Conn., from 2003-07.

After the 6-foot-5 small forward went undrafted (he worked out for multiple teams), he embarked on an overseas career from 2007 to 2015. He also had a brief stint in the ABA — a fledgling minor league in the United States — before becoming an educator in math.

“Being over there and playing college, you get the variety of coaching,’’ Frye said. “I’ve seen all different types of coaches from too aggressive, to not aggressive enough, to quiet coaches, to ones who talk too much. I’ve got a good sense of what works and what doesn’t work. I get a chance to take the good from what worked and put it together with my own twist.’’

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Jarrid Frye, Spanish River boys basketball
Jarrid Frye, Spanish River boys basketball

The Boynton Beach resident started his pro career in Macedonia where he played two seasons with KK AMAK SP. He came back to the United States to play in the ABA for the Kentucky Bisons in 2009-10 before returning to Macedonia.

He then opted for Iceland, moving along to the NBL in Australia, and finished with a short stint in China.

His strength as a coach is teaching the sport’s finer points.

“Basketball is so much different in Europe and they spend so much more time with the fundamentals,’’ Frye said. ”That’s really helped me see the game from a different lens as well. There’s guys in Europe who can barely touch the rim (after jumping) who average 20 points. It’s not about athleticism.’’

Dealing with a diverse student body — teaching and coaching — comes easily for Frye because of his international travels.

“As a teacher, when you get a lot of students from various places, that may be intimidating,’’ Frye said. “It’s given me a different perspective how to approach individual students. All the places I’ve been, it’s easier to work with people from everywhere.’’

Jarrid Frye, Spanish River boys basketball
Jarrid Frye, Spanish River boys basketball

Before arriving on Yamato Road in 2021, Frye was a teacher and middle school coach at Franklin Academy in Palm Beach Gardens. (Frye didn’t coach his first year at Spanish River.)

During his playing days, Frye lived many offseasons in South Florida as his wife, who was in the Air Force, attended FIU and FAU.

Last season, Spanish River stumbled to a 5-15 record but graduated just two seniors. The Sharks' core is back, led by forward Ethan Litten. While Palm Beach County classes ended Friday, Frye will stay busy constructing a non-league schedule.

“Basketball is something I’ve done for a long time, but (Jones) definitely gave me insight into everything else that goes on with coaching,’’ Frye said.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Spanish River hires assistant Jarrid Frye as boys basketball head coach