This occasional series will highlight Black coaches at all levels of sport. This week: Marquette Assistant Woman’s Basketball Coach Deont’a McChester
Originally, Deont’a McChester thought that he would be a veterinarian as an adult. But as early as middle school, growing up in Flint, Mich. he was told that he someday, somewhere would be a basketball coach.
“Honestly, in middle school, high school, all of my coaches told me that I had the ability to lead people,” remembers McChester. “They thought that I had the ability to impact people, and I should think about coaching.”
Those coaches undoubtedly saw something that McChester himself didn’t envision, but an injury suffered in college brought some clarity to his post-playing career plans.
“My last year in college I tore my ACL, and my college coach said, ‘Hey, man, I think you’d be a great assistant coach. Try it out this year,” continued McChester, who began his coaching career after he earned a bachelor’s degree from Keuka College in 2007.
First as director of basketball operations at Winston-Salem State (2008-09), the current Marquette assistant WBB coach has held many positions ever since, including two head coaching stints: Flint Lady Monarchs of the WBCBL (2010-13) and Claflin (S.C.) University (2013-17).
McChester joined Cara Consuegra’s staff at Marquette in 2024 after working with her as an assistant coach at Charlotte for one season. “Coming from Flint, Michigan,” he said proudly, “you have to be ready.
“I never envisioned basketball taking me this far. It open so many doors for me, has allowed me to meet some great people, coach some really good kids, and just have an impact on the game.
“The game has been really, really good for me,” stressed McChester. “I owe it all back to giving to the game, because it has allowed me to do a lot of things that I probably wouldn’t be able to do if I wasn’t a part of the basketball game.”
We talked to McChester after a 90-47 loss to Minnesota Nov. 11 at Williams Arena. He is in his second season at Marquette as second chair in Consuegra’s second season in Milwaukee, where she guided the Golden Eagles to a 21-win season in 2024-25 and the WBIT second round.
“I trust Cara,” said McChester on Consuegra, last season’s Big East co-coach of the year. “When she gave me the opportunity to come up here to Marquette, it was really a step that I really couldn’t deny, being five hours away from home.
“For her to be able to offer me an opportunity to come help her with her vision, because ultimately, that’s what I’m here to do, be able to find and recruit and develop the best young ladies in the world and help her with her vision.
“I’m so grateful that Coach Cara gave me the opportunity to coach at Marquette,” he reiterated. Is he a better coach today than when he first began several years ago? Is he ready for another head coaching opportunity?
“The first thing I think has made me a better coach,” said McChester, “is I surrounded myself with some really good people, some really, really good mentors. It allowed me to be challenged and be able to grow.
“Ultimately, I do want to go back to being a head coach,” he said. “In order for me to do that, I got to grow. I think I’m under a phenomenal leader in my head coach right now, who I think is prepping me to take that next step over to being a head coach.
“I’m not really looking forward to that right now,” concluded McChester. “When my opportunity comes, it will come, but I’m really just here to try to help my boss with her vision, to build this program to be a perennial powerhouse in the Big East.”
Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.