By Patrick MacCoonRecord Sports EditorAfter observing from the sidelines this past season, Ken Brown will return to coach the Wright City varsity boys basketball team this winter.Brown replaces Rick Halteman, who announced he was resigning in April.In three seasons with the Wildcats, from 2011-2014, Brown posted an 11-60 record that included a 9-14 record in the 2013-14 campaign before resigning.“Getting the chance to coach again excites me more than anything else,” Brown said. “I missed the game and that was one of the hardest things just to sit out and not coach the kids.”While still serving as a physical education teacher and assistant football coach at Wright City this past school year, Brown did not go far away from his passion for coaching the game of basketball.Instead, he returns confident with the knowledge he gained from his extra studies.“I watched a lot of basketball and went to a lot of coaching clinics in my time off,” Brown said. “You have to stay around the sport, so you don’t miss a bit when you do get the opportunity to coach again. It was a long process and I analyzed the game more than ever.”Brown realized that he never wanted to stray away from the game after his college playing career ended.“My college coach pulled me aside one day and said I had a really good basketball IQ,” he said. “In tough situations I was able to respond and make changes. That has helped me as a coach to make adjustments and I can help the team play to its strengths. I knew in college one day I wanted to coach. I really watched my coaches and what they did in games and practice. The love for the game carried into coaching for me.”Despite losing seven seniors this past season, Brown is excited about the all-around potential Tyrell Curtis and Trey Saddler can bring to the court as well as the 6-foot-4 defensive presence brought by Kyle Christopher.Curtis will return as the leading scorer from last season for the Wildcats, which finished with a 13-13 overall record.“There is talent with this team, but they will need to learn how to play together since not many of them have varsity experience,” he said. “One thing that has impressed me is their athleticism. Tyrell is very quick and strong around the rim. He and Trey will probably be our leading scorers and assists guys. Kyle is lengthy and can block shots, but still needs to work on his offensive game.”Already with a familiarity of the players on his team, Brown will look to take full advantage of his reassumed role.This summer he has coached many players from the Wildcats in a summer basketball league in Montgomery County.“This group wants to win and will always play hard,” he said. “We may have some struggles due to our lack of experience at first, but they don’t like to lose.”After finishing with the program’s best record in the past seven seasons, Wright City hopes to build a rising program despite its youthfulness.“It’s just a blessing being in this community and seeing the way the kids respond to coaching,” he said. “They all love to work and want to win and are great around the community. Last year they had a winning record for the first time since 2006. The basketball team here has come a long way since it began and we want to make it a winning program every season.”

Ken Brown will take to the court this season to once again coach the boys varsity basketball team at Wright City High School.