Fitch names Fleming (boys), Smith (girls) basketball coaches

Fitch High School has completed a search for its new boys' and girls' basketball coaches, naming Chad Fleming to head the boys' program and Colleen Smith to lead the girls' program.

Fleming has been the boys' coach at Fitch Middle School since 2007, while Smith, a former 1,000-point scorer at Windham High School, was the assistant women's coach last year at Rhode Island College.

"They're both very enthusiastic and seem to have a lot of basketball knowledge," athletic director Rich Kosta said Thursday. "Chad seems to have a good rapport with the kids and we talked to Colleen and she seems like she would also.

"It was a good process. We got a lot of good applicants and they're the ones that came out on top for both."

Smith, who played at Southern Connecticut and Western Connecticut state universities, will begin a job in the fall teaching marine studies and civics at the Marine Science Magnet High School, also in Groton. She is a former assistant at East Lyme under coach Bill Reagan.

"I went to their first summer league game yesterday and got to meet a good chunk of the girls," Smith said of her new team. "They have a lot of young talent.

"Our goal is to kind of rebuild the program as a whole, work as a program running the same stuff at all three levels (freshman, junior varsity and varsity). I'm very excited. They have the talent. It's such a big school."

Smith will be working with her fiance, George Hardison - the two will be married in August - who was an assistant coach at the Community College of Rhode Island last season. Hardison also applied for the head coaching position at Fitch. He will assist Smith. Both also coach AAU with the Connecticut Storm.

Fleming, meanwhile, coached the Lyman Memorial boys' basketball team from 1999-2004. He is the head coach and director for both the Groton Basketball Club and the Thames Valley Thunder AAU boys' basketball club.

Smith replaces Dave Huber. Fleming takes the place of Gary Ballestrini.

v.fulkerson@theday.com