REACHING 341: Buchanan reflects on reaching coaching milestone

PROCTORVILLE — When it comes to being a good basketball coach or being a fortune teller, Jon Buchanan is much better at one than the other.

Fortunately for the Fairland Lady Dragons, Buchanan is better at being a coach.

When Buchanan, 47, started his coaching career 17 years ago with the Lady Dragons, the team began the season 0-8. That eighth loss came at Green and on the ride home the bus had to stop and wait on a train at a crossing to reach the highway.

“When I first got the job, the program wasn’t very successful,” said Buchanan. “We lost at Green and I remember riding back on the bus and we got stopped by the train. I looked at (assistant coach) Adam Alt and I said I don’t think we’ll ever win a game.”

Fairland did win some games. In fact, with a 68-49 win over Johnstown-Monroe on Saturday Buchanan collected career victory No. 341 which gives him the school’s all-time win total.

Buchanan is now 341-88 overall. He eclipsed Nathan Speed who retired after last season as the boys’ coach with a career record of 340-111. The original record holder was Carl York 321-138.

In the Ohio Valley Conference, Buchanan has a 189-23 record with 10 league titles. His teams have qualified for five state tournament appearances.

Buchanan wasn’t even aware he had set the record until athletic director Jeff Gorby called to inform him of the accomplishment.

“Honestly, I didn’t know so I did normal after the game stuff,” said Buchanan, “One of my assistants went with me driving to Rio Grande to see (his son) Brody play.

“We were kind of hungry and we stopped in Circleville and while we were eating our meal Jeff Gorby called and said you broke Nathan’s record. I had no idea. I was focused on coaching the game and I was focused on going to Rio.”

Buchanan’s path to his milestone didn’t begin with even a hint of basketball coach. After graduating from Fairland in 1997, Buchanan attended Marshall University with plans to get a business degree.

“I didn’t like the classes and I really liked basketball, so I talked to a guy with the Fairland Buddy League talked him into letting me coach a boys team,” said Buchanan.

So at the age of 18, Buchanan began coaching and eventually teaching at his alma mater. He said he has coached every year since then except for one when he failed to get a coaching job with the school that he really wanted.

“I applied to be a boys coach and they gave the job to Chad Belville. He became the principal and they gave the coaching job to John McClung. I was young and got upset and I thought I’d never get a chance again. But the job opened again and Chad helped me get the job in 2009,” said Buchanan.

“I was in my 20s and I wanted to run my own program. It didn’t really make sense. It was an opportunity to run my own program myself. I was young and energetic. I’ve been fortunate to have Adam Alt as an assistant. He’s filled in for me when I had family matters."

Although he is known for his hard work year-round, Buchanan said there is no secret to his success as a coach.

“It means you’ve had really, really good players and you’ve coached0 a long time. So many great players, so many great assistant coaches, so many people in the community who believe in our program,” said Buchanan.

“It’s going to have my name on it, but you can’t achieve anything like this without real good basketball players and great help and I’ve had an abundance of that. Make note. My record got really good when my players became really good.”

How long Buchanan stays at the helm of the Lady Dragons may hinge on his son Brody who is the state point guard for Rio Grande.

“I don’t know. My son has aspirations of playing basketball in a foreign country and moves to say Slovakia, I’m moving to Slovakia. If he’s able to achieve that, I wouldn’t miss that.

“He might become a college coach. If he becomes a college head coach, I’ll be right there as his assistant. I’m going to be wherever he is.”

And he’ll be coaching, not trying to predict the future.