PIERCETON -ÊIf Mike Sands lasts three days as Whitko girls basketball coach, he will have lasted one more day than previous coach Lenny Krebs.

Krebs, hired as Whitko varsity girls basketball coach June 21, resigned June 23. He decided to remain in the NorthWood school system after administrators told him he could be an assistant high school boys basketball coach.

At Monday's board meeting, Whitko hired Sands to replace Krebs.

The middle-aged Sands is slim, has a deep tan and thick black hair streaked with gray. He has a small mustache, and compared to his tan, his teeth are so white they glow. It is hard to interview him because several school board members stop to shake his hand to congratulate him.

Sands is the classic in-house hire. He has put his time in at the junior high and high school levels. He knows the players' strengths and weaknesses. He runs the open gyms this summer. He coached the freshman team for a couple of years then coached the junior varsity team last year for the first time, leading the Wildcats to a 13-4 record, including 7-0 in the Three Rivers Conference.

He played for Whitko's high school boys basketball team. He graduated in 1973.

"I've been involved (coaching) basketball in the Whitko system for 10 years," Sands said, "in junior high and high school."

No, the idea of being the second choice didn't bother Sands. If it did, he didn't show it. Sands applied for the job the first time.

"In my mind, I knew I probably wouldn't receive the position (the first time)," he said. "I'd heard things, that it was because of my job."

Sands' job title is Whitko's transportation director. Asked if he sees any conflicts between the hours his job requires and the hours he will need to coach, Sands said: "That will be a big issue. I do have a secretary who monitors the radio and telephone and a mechanic who works until four.

"I can always be reached by radio or telephone."

In 10 years of coaching at Whitko, Sands got called away from practice once for his job.

Sands has two daughters, Melissa and Monica. Melissa played for Whitko a few years ago. Monica plays now and will be coached by her dad. Monica, a junior, was 6 feet tall last year as a sophomore.

"Me coaching my daughter was not a priority," he said. "I've enjoyed coaching in this system. It just so happens I have a daughter who will be playing on the team."

Sands is making two changes on the court. One, the Wildcats will run a different offense. Two, he hopes to cut down on the turnovers that have plagued Whitko the past several years.

"We'll move the ball up the floor quick," he said. "We're gonna run a different offense than we had in the past. We'll have a lot of picks and screens. We put a play in today at team camp the girls were enthused about. A couple of them said, 'I've never been open before like that.'

"We get moving so fast the girls don't take care of the ball. We're gonna concentrate on ball movement and control as we go along."

The calendar may have said July 19, but Sands already was looking toward November and girls basketball season.

"The only thing I don't like is I have to start against Columbia City," he cracked. "I'll be wringing wet just standing there. But it is a home game. Our JV team beat them last year."

Whitko Athletic Director John Mohr contacted Sands the week after Krebs resigned and had him in for another interview.

One of the first things superintendent William Worl asked Sands during his interview the second time around was whether he planned to coach for more than two days.

"As of right now I do," Sands said. "They told me they didn't want to see (this) morning that I had resigned." [[In-content Ad]]