The basketball sidelines in Warren County will be abundant with change this winter. Three area programs are under the direction of new leaders hoping to guide their teams to prominence. Warrenton coach Shannon Jeffrey has already proven himself to an extent during his inaugural year at the school. Jeffrey led the softball team to its first district title in nine years and looks to duplicate that success with the boys basketball program. Wright City has new leaders for both its girls and boys teams. Fred Ross, a longtime employee of the district, decided to add another varsity coaching role to his plate, while Rod Hamlett steps in from Troy to take over the boys program. Jeffrey came to Warrenton from the St. Clair School District, where he served as athletic director. Having spent the earlier parts of his career coaching, he missed that competitive edge and decided to return to the sidelines. “I got the opportunity to coach two sports that I enjoy coaching,” said Jeffrey. “I didn’t look too hard into the past (of this program). I knew they had good athletes at this school.” During a stint at Silex, Jeffrey led the softball team to a state championship and also guided the boys basketball team to a final four appearance. He says his goal for this year’s Warrenton team is to build on the outcome from a year ago. “I think everybody’s goal is usually to be a better team than last year,” said Jeffrey. “That’s no different with us. My goal is for our guys to get better in practice every day and learn the new system.” Ross has been a fixture in the Wright City sports scene for over a decade now. Aside from leading the softball team, he serves as head coach for the boys track team each spring. With some availability in his winter schedule, Ross decided to tackle the job of trying to rebuild a struggling Wildcat program. “I like the challenge, and we’ve got great kids,” said Ross. “Our kids work hard and the community supports them well.” The Wildcats have won just three games over the past four season, and Ross says the uprising will begin with an attitude transformation. “The mentality is that it's OK to slack every once in a while,” said Ross. “My philosophy is 100 percent effort, 100 percent of the time.” Ross says he felt he had already cleared one hurdle taking over the program, already familiar with many of the athletes. “A lot of the girls are crossover from softball,” said Ross. He has shown proven success with Wildcat athletics, consistently leading those softball teams to winning records.  “I may not have all the basketball knowledge, but I'll work my butt off to do the best job I can,” said Ross. “I'm always going to be willing to put in the extra time.” Ross says the team isn't going to write paper goals or set a desired number of victories. “We just want to improve everyday,” said Ross. “They'll get a firsthand look at what they need to improve. We'll watch film and see what needs adjusting. Work ethic is what I look for,” said Ross. “Wins and losses aren't necessarily our goal.” Hamlett is excited about his new venture, taking over a mostly inexperienced Wright City boys team. He came to the district from native hometown of Troy, where he served as an assistant with the boys basketball team. “I'm kind of under philosophy that we build a program from the ground up,” said Hamlett. “That's what we're going get here.” Hamlett says he has had aspirations of being a head coach since graduating from Missouri Baptist, where he was a two-year captain. “I've always wanted my own program,” said Hamlett. “I'm very excited to be here. I feel like there's a lot of talent in the school.” He was drawn to Wright City for several reasons. The close promoxity to his home was appealing, as was the familiar personnel. Hamlett says he was encouraged to know former coaching colleague Doug Smith would also be on staff.  “The support I've gotten from the principal and AD has been outstanding,” said Hamlett. “I'm loving it.” Hamlett is optimistic, despite the challenges of leading a program that went 5-19 last season and suffered through instability in the coaching department. He recognizes that inconsistency in the leadership and the importance of longterm loyalty if the Wildcats are going to begin challenging for district titles again. “It might take us some time,” said Hamlett. “I'm willing to work hard, and I'm in this for the long haul. This is where I want to be. I love the school and where I'm at in the classroom.” “We want to be a continual winner and win consistently,” said Hamlett.