It sounds like something you might see on the back of a T-shirt.

But to hear Zach Skrinjar say it, with confidence, is to understand his conviction in the simple phrase.

"Trust breeds success," Skrinjar said. "I honestly believe that."

He's hoping a trust in him -- by the players and administration -- will breed success with the Fox Chapel Area High School boys basketball program. Skrinjar, 31, was named head coach at Fox Chapel last week after serving four years as an assistant with the Foxes, three of those as the junior varsity head coach. The job opened up when Ben O'Connor resigned in April from the Fox Chapel post to take the head coaching job at Bethel Park.

After a search, Fox Chapel found the best man for the job was already a member of the staff.

"I give the administration a lot of credit for seeing that it is an advantage to keep things consistent," said Skrinjar, who grew up in Highland Park and is a 1997 Central Catholic graduate. "Even before I officially had the job, it was important to me to see these kids through. So I was coaching them in spring and summer basketball, because I knew they needed someone there for them. Every kid coming back next year has played [junior varsity] for me and there is a familiarity which I think is a huge factor."

Indeed, it is.

But it is just one factor as to why Skrinjar, in his first varsity head coaching job, feels he will be a success. The main, overriding factor that he feels he has going for him is that he has been schooled by quite a few men who have been tremendous achievers as coaches.

There was that experience sitting alongside O'Connor, who has quickly substantiated himself as one of the WPIAL's bright young coaches.

On top of that, Skrinjar played for, and is very close to, Central Catholic coach Chuck Crummie, one of the most successful coaches in the WPIAL year-in and year-out.

After high school, Skrinjar played at CCAC for Bill Shay and at Point Park University for Bob Rager, both of whom have been in charge of ultra-successful programs for decades.

"As far as mentors, I have been lucky to learn from some of the best guys anyone ever could learn from, especially someone who lives in western Pennsylvania," said Skrinjar, who teaches seventh grade history in the North Hills school district. "I understand I am blessed to be able to pick up the phone and call a few people for advice who truly are great, great coaches who know how to win and, more importantly, how to run a program. I will lean on those guys, definitely. I have already leaned on them and called them."

Even with all that said, Skrinjar understands there might have been skeptics whenever people opened up the Post-Gazette last week and saw the blurb that it was he -- and not someone more experienced -- who was named Fox Chapel's head coach. Maybe some eyebrows raised because, after all, not that many people get their first crack at a head coaching job at the Class AAAA level.

Sure, Skrinjar has heard the rumblings. How could he not?

But, the people who second guess the hiring are about the farthest thing from his mind.

"People are going to have opinions and they can have them; that is not something that I am worried about and it isn't something that I should be worried about and that I will ever worry about," Skrinjar said. "All I know is that I am honored to be the coach at Fox Chapel. I haven't stopped smiling since I was named coach and it is a job that I am confident I am ready to take on."