Menard hires former two-time Gatorade Player of the Year Trey Touchet as coach

One of Louisiana’s top basketball players this decade is coming back home.

Menard hired former St. Thomas More standout Trey Touchet as coach Monday to replace Brian Terwilliger. Terwilliger left the Eagles May 3 to take the same job at Northwood.

“I’m really excited to get started and to meet everybody,” Touchet said. “Making the transition from college coaching, I really want to apply all the things I’ve learned these past seven years. I think it’s going to be a really good opportunity to develop as a young coach.”

A back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year recipient in 2013 and 2014, Touchet led the Cougars to the Class 4A title as a junior in 2012-13 and averaged 18.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a senior in 2013-14.

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Touchet played at UTEP and McNeese before becoming a graduate assistant at St. Mary’s College in California. He said he has learned from St. Thomas More coach Danny Broussard, former UTEP coach Tim Floyd and Gaels coach Randy Bennett throughout his career.

“I had to deal with a lot different kinds of players in college, so I’m going to take bits and pieces from all of the coaches that I’ve played for and try to implement that here,” Touchet said. “(Learning from these coaches) is a reason why I’m in the position that I’m in today. I have a master’s in leadership, but I also feel like I got a master’s in basketball. All the experiences that I’ve had in the past have prepared me for this job.”

The Eagles made their first appearance at the state tournament under Terwilliger this past season and went 22-12 before losing to Newman in the Division III semifinals.

Menard loses 6-foot-8 center Jourdain Dishmond after he signed with Holmes Community College, but will have Daylen Turner returning for his senior year at point guard.

While Touchet’s style of play will be determined by his personnel, he has promised that this will be a hardworking bunch.

“(We want) to make sure we’re working hard and doing things the right way — having the most class and integrity in everything that we do and competing at a really high level,” Touchet said.