Position filled!

It was a simple matter of a team needing a coach and a coach needing a team. In the end, both won out.

The Hot Springs boys basketball team was in need of a coach this past off-season and put out a call for someone to step up and step in to the position vacated by Cameron Barber following last season.

Recently the coach of the Terry Terrier boys hoop squad when living in that area from 2015 to 2017, Scott Fredrickson finally put in for the job and got it this fall.

And Fredrickson has some coaching chops as evidenced by the job he did in guiding the unheralded Terriers into the State C tournament in 2016, while he was in that area involved in oil field work for his day job.

He says he finally put in for the Hot Springs job when it became apparent that no one else would.

“I was surprised nobody had put in for this job,” he said. “I watched this team play last year and thought they were a nice, hard-working group of kids that would be fun to coach.”

Now that he is on the job, Fredrickson is ready to take it by the horns.

“I really like these kids, they have really been getting after it in practice,” he said. “Our numbers are not real god right now but that should improve over the next several weeks.”

Fredrickson will make his Hot Springs coaching debut in Ronan Friday as the Heat play the Lincoln Lynx at 5 p.m. in the Western C Tip-Off tourney. The Heat will face the Philipsburg Prospectors in Ronan Saturday.

Senior Brandon Knudsen, who was recently honored as all-conference and all-state in football, is the Heat’s only returning all-conference hoopster and will be looked to for points and leadership this season.

Also standout football players, Kyle Lawson, Jack McAllister, Luke Waterbury and Lincoln Slonaker have all been looking good in practice as well, Fredrickson said.

Hot Springs sports legend Trevor Paro, who is back living in the area, has agreed to be Fredrickson’s assistant coach this winter.

“It’s awesome that Trevor is available and willing to help out,” Fredrickson said. “He is going to do a lot for these kids, just having him around is a big bonus.”