Homecomings are normally reserved for football games, but Jan. 17, 2015 just might be the exception at Rolly Williams Court in Coeur d'Alene.

On that night, the College of Southern Idaho men's basketball team, along with new coach Jared Phay, will visit Phay's former team, North Idaho College, in a Scenic West Athletic Conference game.

"It's going to be really weird when I come back there no question," Phay said. "No question about that. I'm definitely going to be rooting for them, except for when we're playing them."

Phay, 37, was introduced as the 18th men's basketball coach at CSI - and third in three years - during a press conference Wednesday in Twin Falls.

"I'm really excited," Phay said. "I loved my time at NIC, but my heart felt like I needed a new challenge and it was the right time at the right place."

Phay was the head coach at NIC for 10 seasons, winning the Scenic West Athletic Conference titles in 2006, 2009 and 2010. He was named conference coach of the year three different times and his 2010-11 team was the first in school history to reach a No. 1 ranking in the NJCAA polls.

Phay was an assistant under Hugh Watson at NIC prior to being named head coach and also was an assistant at Motlow State in Lynchburg, Tenn. and a graduate assistant at Idaho.

"We're excited for Coach Phay," NIC athletic director Al Williams said. "CSI is an excellent program and it's a position you'd consider if you wanted to move up in the ranks of coaching."

He replaces Jeremy Cox, who resigned after one season following a conference championship and 27-5 record.

"We've been able to see him grown and work NIC into a program that's challenging in the SWAC," said CSI athletic director Joel Bate, who has been the AD for the past eight years. "He's had some good, quality players and program and could have gone to Hutch (Hutchinson for the NJCAA men's tournament)."

In his time at NIC, Phay went 221-94. Phay won at least 20 games in eight of his 10 years.

"I've been around a lot of good people for the last 10 years," Phay said. "I'm going to miss the administration and the people in Coeur d'Alene. But this is a big-time basketball program. I've got a lot of mixed emotions and am going to miss a lot of people there."

What was one of the selling points of the former Post Falls Christian coach to Bate didn't have a thing to do with basketball.

"We really like how he graduates kids and treats them like young men," Bate said. "Kids leave the program better than they entered it."

NIC is leaving the SWAC following the 2015-16 season to join the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges, where the conference tournament marks the end of the season.

"In their decision to go to the NWAACC, Jared still had some aspirations to remain coaching in the NJCAA," Bate said. "We talked with (NIC athletic director) Al (Williams) about this through the entire process to see that it was a good fit. We communicated, and have a deep respect between the two programs. I think they're going to be in good hands."

Phay is hopeful that his assistant, Corey Symons, will replace him at NIC.

"We'll have to see how it plays out," Phay said.

"We'll start our search and move on it pretty quickly," Williams said. "We've got a very good internal candidate in Corey that's done a great job. We'll still do a search, but it's nice to have a quality candidate on our campus."

NIC will visit CSI twice next season in basketball, going to Twin Falls on Dec. 13 and Feb. 7, 2015.

"They're only up here once this season, and I'm sure Jared will get a nice reception before the game," Williams said. "After that, he's just another rival in black and gold and we'll be happy to beat them."