PRIEST RIVER — Priest River boys basketball will have a new face leading the program this winter — and it’s a familiar one.

Jaden Barrett, a 2011 PRLHS grad, was named the new boys varsity head coach earlier this week. Kevin Wylie, who won the Priest River mayoral race, recently resigned from the position.

Barrett said he feels extremely lucky to get a chance to lead his alma mater.

“The fact that it is my alma mater makes it 10 times as sweet to start my coaching career,” he said. “I feel pretty blessed to grab that job.”

The 28-year-old was a volunteer coach on last year’s varsity team and that experience made him want to come back for more.

“I just had so much fun,” he said. “It’s just something that I have to keep in my life because I’m such a basketball head.”

Barrett was a star player on the 2010 team that captured the program’s only state title and he helped lead the Spartans to a fourth-place finish at state in 2011. That year, he set a state tournament record with 15 3-pointers — a record that still stands to this day.

Last year from the sidelines, Barrett got to watch the Spartans end a decade-long state drought with a group of boys he knows very well.

“It’s kind of cool to see it come full circle because I definitely have helped develop these kids and always offered my time with them,” he said.

Barrett has run open gyms in the community for a number of years and refereed junior high games for the three star seniors on this year’s team — Trentyn Kreager, Travis Mathews and Blake Barrett.

“That group has been playing with me since they were eighth or ninth graders,” Barrett said. “It’s pretty cool to see them develop into the players they are now.”

Blake is of course Barrett’s younger brother, and having family on the team certainly helped peak his interest in the job, but Barrett said he has always dreamed about coaching in his hometown.

“It was unfortunate for me to see Kevin step down because I really enjoyed coaching with him last year,” he said, “and we’re just good friends, basketball aside, but I couldn’t help but have my eyes light up as soon as I heard [about the job opening].”

And when Barrett turned in his application for the job, he had plenty of support. He said the whole team went into Mike Condie’s office and told the athletic director they wanted him as their next coach, and their parents even voiced their support.

Barrett said it felt amazing to have that kind of backing and it gives him a lot of confidence heading into his first season.

Barrett said when he decided to apply for the job, the first two people he contacted for letter of recommendations were Ryan Bodecker and Scott Salesky, who were his high school and junior high coaches.

He said those two taught him a lot about life on and off the court and he hopes to have a similar impact on his players during his tenure at Priest River.

“That’s the type of coach I want to be for these kids eventually,” he said.

Getting a chance to be on the bench last season allowed Barrett to build plenty of chemistry and respect with the players, and with essentially the entire team coming back this fall, he is looking forward to getting to work and putting his own mark on the program.

And Barrett made sure to point out that he didn’t just take this job because his brother is on the team. He’s not going to leave after Blake’s senior year — he’s in it for the long haul, he said.

“It’s so much more than that to me,” he said.

Barrett said he plans on getting even more involved with the youth basketball programs in the community to help build a brighter future. Barrett witnessed firsthand the impact basketball can have on someone’s life, and he wants to pass that passion for the sport onto every athlete who walks through the PRLHS gym.

“If I didn’t have basketball when I was in high school I wouldn’t be the person I am today,” he said. “... It comes down to building these kids’ character in the long run and not just being good at basketball.”

Barrett will make his coaching debut when the Spartans host St. Maries on Tuesday, Nov. 30.