EPHRATA — The Ephrata School District announced Ryan Carlstrom as the new head coach of boys basketball Thursday. With excitement in his voice, Carlstrom said he feels like the pressure is on now.  

“It kind of feels like now I've got to get to work... summer basketball starts July 1, and so I'm kind of just getting ready and getting excited and learning about Ephrata and the community and program that's in place, and all those types of things,” he said.  

Carlstrom has always wanted to become a head coach, he said. However, up until this point the timing was never right. Now that he’s landed in the Tigers program, he’s in for the long haul.  

“That is my hope,” Carlstrom said. “My daughter is starting to drive and things like that, things that just wouldn't have let this work for me a couple years ago now, kind of are in place. I feel fortunate that it did become available because these jobs don't become available very often.”  

Prior to his arrival, Carlstrom has put together over a decade of experience as a coach, according to a press release by ESD. Most recently, Carlstrom served on the Moses Lake Mavericks coaching staff and the head coach of their junior varsity squad. Last season, he coached the team to a 20-1 record, which included a 16-0 start to the season. 

His time at MLHS was crucial to his development as a coach, he said.  

“There's no way I would have ever dreamt about doing this without my time at Moses Lake High School,” Carlstrom said. “I was blessed when I first came here to start working with Coach (John) Hohman (and Jacob Hunt), they allowed me to become a student of basketball and taught me things that have meant a lot to me, and they've shown me everything.” 

As he begins his tenure, Carlstrom is most excited about getting to know the players, families and coaches in the Tigers program, he said. As he processes his next steps, he finds it hard focusing on one thing to be excited about at a time.  

“I've been excited for a couple days,” he said. “I’m still not familiar with the players, and the things they have in place, Coach (Rick) Walter put in place there, and coaches before that. So I'm excited to get to know those things and figure out what we can work on, what things we can get better at and what things we do a really good job at – things that I can learn from them even.” 

When the new season arrives, Carlstrom can foresee what kind of basketball the Tigers will put on the hardwood.  

“I want us to be a fun, exciting up and down the court. Put pressure on you type of team, and I think the community of Ephrata has the athletes to do that,” he said. “My kids have all played against Ephrata kids in AAU, and they're all hard-working kids, which is half of the battle. If you can get kids that will work hard, you can teach them to do other things that you like and so I'm super excited about that.” 

Ephrata’s Athletic Director Bryan Johnson is excited about what Carlstrom will bring to their basketball program.  

“Ryan has dedicated more than a decade to developing high school basketball players and understands what it takes to build a successful program,” said Johnson in an ESD press release. “We had a strong pool of experienced candidates throughout the process, and Ryan stood out because of his high school coaching experience, his ability to build meaningful relationships with student-athletes and his commitment to creating a competitive, positive culture.” 

    Ryan Carlstrom, gray tie, stands alongside the Moses Lake freshman team for a team photo.