MORRISTOWN — Rob Barr has had a long-lasting desire to coach varsity basketball.

The 1982 Union Local now has his opportunity.

Barr was approved at the last Union Local Board of Education meeting as the new Jets’ girls basketball coach, taking over Kelley Hanlon, who stepped down following the season.

“It’s very exciting and I am looking forward to the opportunity,” Barr said. “Coaching high school has been a goal of mine, so now I am excited to see what we can accomplish as a program and hopefully take it to the next level.”

Barr takes over a Jets’ program that has won two of the last three OVAC Class 4A titles and is slated to return four of its five starters from last season. Add into the mix a talented and large incoming freshman class that has 11 players part of it is has Barr even more excited about what could lie ahead.

“We’re in pretty good shape,” Barr said. “The cupboard isn’t empty. I think we’ll have seven seniors. Obviously, I am not sure how you replace a player like Haley Porter, but we do have a good nucleus and that’s a good place to start.”

Barr, who played three years of basketball at Ohio University Eastern, was in the mix for the girls’ opening when Hanlon was hired. When the post came open this time, he had a conversation with his wife, Dawn.

“I love to coach and I was thinking about it and just talked it over with my wife and decided to apply again,” Barr said. “Coaching is just in my blood.”

Barr’s coaching resume includes two stints as the eighth grade boys’ coach. He moved up and coached the freshmen earlier this decade. And just out of high school in the early 80s, Barr coached seventh grade, too. Along with his work in basketball, Barr also worked with the varsity track program, focusing on pole vault for several years.

When Barr wasn’t hired for the girls’ varsity job the last time, he decided to get involved with basketball in a different capacity. He joined the officiating ranks. He’s held his basketball officials’ license for five years in both Ohio and West Virginia.

“I had officiated before and I still love it,” Barr said. “I’ll still be able to officiate boys because I plan to keep my card, but I just don’t think I am going to have the time. As much as I loved officiating, it just didn’t satisify my competitive nature.”

Barr already has the majority of coaching staff on board. Nikki Kemp is slated to move up from the junior high ranks to serve as varsity assistant and Mike Menges will return as the junior varsity coach.

The Jets met as a team earlier this week and actually had an impromptu open gym as well. Barr has two shootouts scheduled for this summer, but has planned to utilize most of his coaching days with the team instead of playing summer league games.

“We’re going to approach it as a team camp kind of thing to get them acclimated to the new system and things,” Barr said. “We’re still finalizing the staff and we’re excited to get started.”

As for that new system, Barr indicated his team will “concentrate on a little bit more of defense.”

“We’re going to play with a lot of intensity and we’re going to have to get the ball up and down the floor,” Barr said. “We don’t have a lot of size. It’s going to be a very similar game to what they’ve been playing, so it shouldn’t be that hard of a transition.”

Barr, who owns a degree in civil engineering, has owned and operated Barr Surveying since 2002. Not being in the school every day doesn’t bother or worry Barr in the least.

“I live less than two miles from the school and my business is less than a mile away, so if I am needed at the school I can be there quickly,” Barr said.

Rob and Dawn have two adult children, who are both Union Local graduates. Joby (27) was a first-team all-Ohio basketball player during his days with the Jets and Mackenzie (26), who just recently graduated with from West Virginia University with her PhD in Animal and Human Nutrition.