Wright City High School decided to stay within the district when it came to selecting its new boys basketball coach.Middle school coach and former varsity assistant Rick Halteman has been chosen to fill the vacant varsity head coaching role.“He has a ton of passion for coaching and for kids,” said Athletic Director Doug Smith. “I was very impressed during the interview with the plan that he already has in store program-wide.”Halteman will replace Ken Brown, who led the Wildcats to an 11-60 record over three seasons. Having been around the program, Halteman says he understands the challenges awaiting him.“I really like being in this community, teaching and coaching,” said Halteman, who teaches high school math. “When the opportunity came up, I felt like I couldn’t pass on it. I’m looking forward to building up the program from the top to bottom.”A graduate of Richland High School, Halteman played basketball for two seasons at State Fair Community College before finishing his degree from Missouri Valley.He began his career as an assistant for two years at Eldon High School.Halteman then served as head coach of the girls varsity team at Hancock High School for two years before joining the Wright City School District in 2011. He spent two seasons as an assistant under Brown before becoming the Wildcats’ middle school head coach.“I’ve seen him coach, and recognize he knows what he’s doing,” said Smith. “The passion he exhibited and the fact he is eager to invest — it’s all very exciting and positive to me.”Halteman describes as a strong communicator with high expectations.“I think learning how to beat good teams is going to be the greatest challenge,” said Halteman.His immediate focus will be on maximizing the talent of three returning starters led by a strong junior class. The Wildcats will welcome back their two leading scorers from a seven-win season in 2013-14.“It’s a great group of kids,” said Halteman. “They work hard and are very coachable. There’s a lot of potential.”Halteman also plans to develop Wright City basketball at the lower levels, at which Smith says there is a severe depletion.“We’re working through that process district-wide right now — to develop more interest,” said Smith. “We’ve had some discussions about how to develop basketball from the ground up. Now it comes down to putting the people in place to start getting things done.”Halteman says he is currently working on plans for camps involving fourth through sixth-graders.“We don’t want kids playing basketball for the first time in seventh grade,” said Halteman.HALTEMAN HIREDDerrick Forsythe Photo.