"Five Questions" is a series here on Arizona Varsity geared to help our readers get to know some of the most integral and impactful personalities in and around sports in Arizona.

Today's subject: Basha Head Coach Chris McDonald. When I started covering high school sports in Arizona back in 2012, I was focused on just the schools in the Chandler area, and got to witness McDonald assist Hamilton at the end of their seven-title dynasty. Chilly vouched for McDonald as the hire at Maricopa, and believed strongly that Basha made the best available hire when they lured McDonald from Maricopa back to south Chandler.

It turns out he was right.

A big part of what we do at Arizona Varsity is make our content for the players themselves, and that's kept me personally from cozying up to coaches or attempting to use them for access for quotes, scoops or content. But there are a select few that I keep up with for the sole reason that they understand and back the mission we're trying to accomplish here- Chris McDonald is one of those. I've always appreciated his perspective on things, and it was a privilege to have him as part of the five questions series.

"I appreciated both of you guys having the confidence in me to turn around this program. I know you guys spoke on it numerous times when I first got the job, so much appreciated. As a competitor and coach I did feel that I would be able to turn it around. I had no choice really, as that is what was expected of me by the school administration when I was hired... so it was in a sense a leap of faith. I had a 1-5 year plan broken out into 3 tiers, and each tier had objectives on what needed to be accomplished in order to move to the next. Basically, a 1st/2nd year tier, 3rd/4th year tier, and a what the program should look like at the conclusion of the 5th year.

I have since met with my principal (Mr. Reischl) and Athletic Director (Eric Magana) on a 4th tier, which is basically 'how do we continue the success we had?'

There were definitely some low spots/times we endured in my five years here, where I had to evaluate not just the program, but myself as well. It wasn't always a smooth ride to get to the point we are at, but I'm glad I stuck with it and had some great people that I work with who kept me focused and upbeat.

I think "patience" and "trust" are the main two factors that have allowed us to reach these heights- both internal and external. We have great support here at Basha, and have a motto in our principal's office when it comes to making excuses or looking at disadvantages in a certain way: "Victors Not Victims."

Yes we understand we aren't the largest 6A school, but that doesn't mean we can't be the most efficient athletic program in the state, with expectations to be the best. "

"Looking back I am just extremely grateful for the opportunity, and very lucky to be honest. We obviously had a lot of success on the field, but we also had a lot of fun working hard to push kids, push ourselves as coaches, and working together for a common goal.

Every kid and coach knew their role, as well as how their role impacted everyone else. I learned a ton from Coach Belles- specifically a lot about organization, efficiency and management of people within a program. Coach Belles was always the first to compliment others, and last to take recognition. He was a great person to work for. I had some great mentors as well like: Deke Schutes, Lane Reynolds, Mike Johnston, Dick Banizewski, Roger Pearson, Kelly Stout, Mark Tucker, Anthony Parker, Pat Quinn, Tim Rutt and Manny Palomeraz that took the time to help a young coach like me find my path.

I also absolutely can't forget to mention Steve Zeiders for all he did for me.

I also learned the importance of school and district support towards an athletic program's success. The administration and former principal Dr. DePrez gave me my first teaching job, so I am forever grateful to them. The district AD at the time, Marcus Williams was also a positive influence on me and helped me throughout my career. It was just a great experience all around, and I'm super fortunate to meet and work with great people. Most people don't know this but I also was the Head Frosh Baseball Coach for three years under Mike Woods at Hamilton, and he was very impactful on my growth as well."

"Looking back I think some of the challenges were that the community grew so fast that infrastructure was always a step behind. That's not just within the school district, but the town itself. That's not for a lack of hard work or great leadership, it was just a brief time of tremendous growth and you had a "small town" that had to grow up fast to keep everything afloat.

However, it was a tremendous opportunity and experience. Cory Nenaber was the AD at Maricopa at the time, and he gave me my first shot to be a head coach- which is always the toughest because that person has to really believe in you and what you can accomplish instead of what you've already accomplished.

I worked for Mark Cisterna and Brian Winter, who were both really supportive in our program's success. They saw our vision and helped with pitfalls along the way. I was very fortunate to have great support from Tom Dugan, Rusty Akers, and Darris Pedro- who all helped build the program as well. They were always willing to help, and volunteered so much of their time for the benefit of kids.

I miss coaching a lot of those kids. I really enjoyed the relationships made and I still continue communication with a lot of them. We had some tremendous competitors in my four years there. Great kids who bought in and played with a chip on their shoulder. Very tough-minded and old school in a sense, but also respected where they came from and what they represent."

"Servant Leadership!!! That's what we're about here at Basha. We want the kids to have as much success as possible in their journey, and we take it personally if we let kids down. It's very inspiring to see young men work so hard together as a team, and put aside individual accomplishments for the betterment of the team. As a staff, it makes us push ourselves to new heights as well. I think our staff chemistry and cohesiveness was vital as well. We don't have a ton of turnover here at Basha, so we all have been working together for quite some time and know what's expected. Again, we have a great staff where "the goal is more important than the role!"'

"I want to see Demond continue the same mindset that has gotten him to this point. Continue to be an example to others of the sacrifices it takes to be the best. He's not one to talk about it but one to show others and lead by example. He's a tireless worker and is always looking to improve his craft. He's a 4.0 student in the classroom and also a two-sport star in the spring running track which is something he started in highschool. He worked his tail off to become who he is. He has pushed me to become a better head coach because you don't want to be the reason he fails. This will be my 4th year coaching this kid and I've seen him grow into an exceptional person. He has been a blessing and will leave a legacy unmatched here at Basha. He is deserving of all accolades that come his way. He is truly a great kid and student-athlete. He is a young man everyone should root for now and in the future. We constantly talk about always "making fans" wherever you are and who you come into contact with. Never give someone a reason to take a jab at you because people are always looking for ways to bring others down. Especially people who have garnered a lot of attention and success. Never forget his journey and what helped him to this point and continue to push towards greatness I think is what I want to see him continue to do."

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