BARNESVILLE — Shane Stephens has been around the Barnesville boys basketball program long enough to have a good handle on what the Shamrocks’ future looks like.

Moving forward, he will have even more of an imprint on the program’s future.

At the most recent Barnesville Exempted Village School District Board of Education meeting, Stephens was formally approved as the Shamrocks’ head coach. He takes over for Johnny Hines, who stepped down following this past season.

“I am really excited and honored to be the head coach,” Stephens said. “I truly appreciate the board and administration for giving me this opportunity. Being able to be the head coach at Barnesville is special because the school and community truly love athletics and the kids who play.”

Now with the opportunity, Stephens plans to make the most of it, too.

“I am ready to get things rolling,” Stephens said. “There are some good things coming up through the program, and I am ready to get to work.”

Stephens worked under Hines for all three years of his tenure and was on the staff one year prior to Hines taking over, working under Matt Johnson.

Along with what he learned from his predecessors, Stephens also reflects back, a lot, on what he learned while playing under OVAC Hall of Fame and state-title winning head coach Dave Linn during his prep days at Buckeye Trail.

“I learned a lot from Coach Linn and carry a lot of that into my approach to coaching and basketball,” Stephens said. “I also learned a ton from Coach Hines and Coach Johnson. Just two great guys to work for. Coach Hines was a basketball wizard. I plan to take a lot from all of these guys and put it with my own ideas and instill it into what we’ll do.”

After graduating from Buckeye Trail in 2005, Stephens played three seasons at Ohio University Eastern. He currently is a business partner with his father. Prior to joining the Shamrocks’ high school staff, Stephens cut his coaching teeth at his alma mater, for four seasons, at the junior high level.

“My brother was a coach and I followed him and what he got out of it and saw how much he enjoyed it, and I just decided to go that route, too,” Stephens said. “I love the game of basketball and love being around the kids. Seeing them grow and mature as young men it just as important as anything basketball related.”

As for the team Stephens is inheriting, the Shamrocks lost just one senior, meaning experience is a plus.

“We’re experienced, but we’ll still be heavy on juniors,” Stephens pointed out. “I think the games will be exciting because we’ll be loaded with good athletes and skilled guys. We’re going to be playing up-in-your-face defense and trying to be a hard-nosed basketball team.”

Stephens already has a coaching staff lined up. He expects Jamie Carpenter to return. The aforementioned Johnson is expected to return to the bench and Hunter Carpenter will guide the junior varsity.

Shane’s wife, Brittany, is a math teacher in the Barnesville school district.