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GREENFIELD — For the fourth straight season, McClain has made a change at the helm of its boys basketball program.
But the school district’s most recent hire, barring any unforeseen circumstances, plans to stick around awhile.
Jarrod Haines, no stranger to the hardwood, will replace Mike Noszka, who was at McClain during the 2023-24 season. The Tigers were 5-18 overall last season.
Haines’ hire was made official on Monday evening.
“Consistency [is the reason for applying]. This senior group will have had four coaches in four years. It’s hard to develop a program with that kind of turnover and change in philosophies,” Haines said. “I love this place and these kids and I just feel they deserve better.”
Haines’ coaching experience speaks for itself. For 10 seasons, he was McClain’s girls coach before stepping down from the position following the 2022-23 season.
During that time, he led the Tigers to a 129-92 record alongside a district championship in 2014, a district runner-up finish in 2015 and two conference crowns — an SCOL title in 2014 and an FAC banner in 2020.
Now, he’ll try to, at the very least, match those accomplishments with the boys program.
“When I left college, I had a dream of becoming a head boys coach. Luckily, I had the opportunity to coach girls basketball for 15 years,” Haines said. “I wouldn’t trade my time doing that for anything. Whether it’s girls or boys, the preparation is the same. I would like to think that I approached the game the same way I did for girls that I will for boys. But when you build a program, you have to fight through the tough years and not run away from them. I plan on doing exactly what I did with the girls; build from the bottom up and develop coaches from within that will one day take the reins of the program as well. My teams will play with grit and toughness.”
Those two characteristics — grit and toughness — have always been a staple of Haines’ teams.
He’ll now instill that in his new program, but he’ll also bring in a regime that’s full of fresh ideas, willing to learn on the fly and open to adaptation.
“Honestly, I am different than I was 10-15 years ago. We have already had great numbers and excitement around the program,” Haines said. “The kids are showing up to improve in the gym and in the weight room. I’m bringing in an energetic young staff that will share the same excitement as me.”
Haines’ boys coaching debut is tentatively set for Dec. 1 — a home date against Paint Valley.
“[McClain] is my home. I love this place, I love the people, and I love these student-athletes,” Haines said. “McClain has a rich tradition and I want to reignite that fire. I’m not doing this for myself. I want our student-athletes to be a part of a process that brings those basketball back to McClain.”
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