Wright City High School is currently searching for a new boys basketball coach.After three seasons at the helm, Ken Brown will not be returning to the hardwood following his recent resignation.“In the end I didn’t do a good enough job in the school’s eyes for me to be retained,” said Brown. “It’s a bitter ending, but it’s a business decision. I respect that and have got to move on.”Brown led the Wildcats to a 11-60 record, including an improved 9-14 finish this season. He guided Wright City to its first win over Warrenton in nearly a decade.“We saw an improvement in the number of wins,” said Activities Director Doug Smith. “He made some really solid adjustments in games with matchups and who was guarding who.”Brown says his greatest accomplishment was convincing the athletes they could win and shifting the attitude toward opponents.“They go into games expecting to win now,” said Brown. “That’s one thing I can put my fingerprint on. We went from not even being competitive to knowing we can compete with anybody.”As of now, Brown will remain in the district as a physical education teacher and assistant football coach.“Ken is a great guy and outstanding role model for our kids,” said Smith. ‘The kids respond well to him.”However, Brown says he will continue to pursue his next opportunity to coach his first love of basketball.“I’m a basketball coach by nature,” said Brown. “If I can’t do it here, I’m probably going to try to find somewhere else.”Brown had coached this year’s senior class since its eighth-grade year.“These guys worked extremely hard,” said Brown. “I saw the junior and senior class grow up from middle schoolers to where they are now.”Smith says the job vacancy was posted on Tuesday, and the application and interview process will begin immediately. Ideally, he would like to have a new coach in place by the end of April.“We want to find somebody who is energetic and wants to dig in and work on building the program from the ground up,” said Smith. “We wish Ken a lot of luck in what he’s doing moving forward.”There is particular emphasis on landing a coach who will commit time toward the development of elementary and middle school players.Wright City will return its two leading scorers from this past winter.“If they get a coach that can come in here and develop them as well as lead them, they’ll be fine next year,” said Brown.KEN BROWNDerrick Forsythe Photo.