"Players are gonna learn in ways that they never thought was possible" Sean Gares on joining 100 Thieves Valorant as head coach

In preparation for Stage 2 of the Valorant Champions Tour 2022, North American organization 100 Thieves have added Sean Gares and Daniel “ddk” Kapadia to their coaching staff.

The former Valorant and CS:GO caster duo will take on the role of head coach and general manager, respectively, with Team Envy's former coach Michael “Mikes” Hockom, joining as an assistant coach to Sean Gares.

After a series of upsets in VCT 2022, 100 Thieves part ways with Jovanni "Jovi" Vera, who took on the mantle of head coach back in January 2022. While 100 Thieves was showered with success in their early days of Valorant, they failed to sustain their glory after a series of player transfers hindered their progress.

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100 Thieves add Sean Gares and ddk to their Valorant coaching staff

Prior to joining 100 Thieves, Sean Gares and ddk enjoyed a career as official casters for Riot-hosted Valorant events while running Immortal Minds, an independent Valorant content show. Gares was also signed to Gen G as their official streamer. Gares was also a former CS:GO professional for Cloud9.

Both individuals were denied the opportunity to be part of the Stage 1 Masters: Reykjavik as commentators and had to effectively look for more suitable career options.

While ddk announced a break from casting after nine years of service, Gares highlighted that he would focus more on the competitive scene rather than casting.

After signing on to 100 Thieves, Sean Gares stated,

"My role as the head coach is basically to be with the players, day in, day out. What I'm gonna do is really focus on what players are doing the right way. Players are gonna learn in ways that they never thought was possible. They're gonna enjoy it. It's gonna be a really fun experience.'

He further added,

"We focus on communication, we focus on the things that are really lacking in North America, the things that I have seen on the scene as an in-game leader for 20 years."

Sean Gares enjoyed a career as a professional CS:GO player, playing for a variety of North American organizations between 2012 and 2018. Since switching to casting and analysis in 2018, Gares has grown into a crowd favorite at both CS: GO and Valorant events.

Similarly, ddk has also had long-standing success as a Valorant commentator. As a former CS: GO caster, ddk has graced several Valve-organized events as well and is reputed in the community for his contributions towards the game.

After joining 100 Thieves as their General Manager, he commented,

"This opportunity is the perfect timing. It's the meeting of the minds between Sean and myself, and we'll have Mike coming on board as well, also from Immortal Minds."

He added on,

"We have a shared vision when it comes to building teams, when it comes to fixing the problems that we consistently see, and we're getting a chance to actualise that. I can't say no to that."

Earlier in January 2022, the organization signed Adam "ec1s" Eccles and Hunter "BabyJ" Schline in hopes of revamping their team and playing at the highest level of Valorant.

However, after a disappointing start to the Stage 1 NA Challengers, 100 Thieves replaced two of their latest members just a month after their arrival, with loan signings Sean "bang" Bezerra and Noah "jcStani" Smith.

Sean Gares and ddk will be joining a 100 Thieves roster that fields Spencer "Hiko" Martin, Peter "Asuna" Mazuryk, Ethan "Ethan" Arnold, Sean "bang" Bezerra, and Noah "jcStani" Smith, with David "Rocket" Spencer as the assistant coach.

With veterans like Sean Gares and ddk overseeing the organization's activities, 100 Thieves aims to achieve their goals for VCT 2022, starting with the Stage 2 NA Challengers Series.