New M.L. King coach: 'Main missing ingredient last year was discipline'

Nicolas Kashama was the defensive coordinator for three straight region championship teams at M.L. King before leaving for Georgia Prep Sports Academy last season.

Kashama is back at M.L. King – he was announced as King’s new head coach this week – and says there’s unfinished business, which would be a state championship for a program that has averaged nearly 10 victories over the past 10 seasons but often fallen short in the playoffs.

‘’Being away from it last year, sitting back and watching it, I was biting my tongue, knowing I could’ve done some things to take this program to the top where it should be,’’ Kashama said. ‘’The main ingredient missing last year was discipline. I can bring that back and get it moving in the right direction. I want to get those guys to play 15 games.’’

Kashama was King’s defensive coordinator from 2010 to 2012 under Michael Carson and Rober Freeman. He will replace Cortez Allen, who resigned last month after one season. Kashama will be King’s fourth head coach in four seasons.

Kashama is a native of the Congo who came to America when he was 10. He lived and played high school football in Toronto. He was a defensive end at UConn, signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns and played for four seasons in the CFL. Two of his brothers play in the CFL. He is a cousin of former NFL running back Tim Biakabutuka.

Kashama, 36, began his coaching career at Avondale at 2007 and became one of Carson’s top assistants. Kashama came to M.L. King in 2010 with Carson  and rejoined him last season at Georgia Prep, which Carson founded.Kashama was in charge of college recruiting at King, which had more than 30 college signees in his three seasons at the school.

M.L. King has continued to win despite the turnover at head coach. The Lions were 7-4 in 2013, the first time they’ve won fewer than eight games since 2002.

Kashama met with his new players on Tuesday. He told them a state championship was the goal.

‘’We talked about going to the Georgia Dome,’’ Kashama said. “I want them to think big. In the past, the steam went out when we won the region. That’s the one thing we learned from the past. Instead of beating Stephenson and winning the region and being done with it, we're going to approach every game the same. That’s our primary goal, to get to the Dome.’’