Clinton County High School Basketball announced Tuesday morning the hiring of former assistant coach Nick Irwin as the new Boys’ Head Basketball Coach for the 2022-2023 season.

Irwin has spent the past 16 plus years on the bench for Clinton County as an assistant coach and is looking forward to this opportunity to lead the team he once played for and has coached for so long.

“It’s a little bittersweet for me and being head coach is something I started out wanting to do when I first started, but I never envisioned it after meeting Todd (Messer) and being around Coach (Mike) Beard because everything was so comfortable and everything was such a perfect fit,” Irwin said. “I would have just wanted to kept on what we were doing and winning ball games, but I’m excited about it and I think after a few days it will sink in.”

Irwin said the first person he called was his mother.

“It really made her day,” Irwin said. “Dad never really gave a crap about basketball, but he was always about working. If you are going to work hard then work hard to be the best you can be at what you do.”

Irwin said he’s not scared about starting the season and getting into the thick of things … he said he’s ready.

“It’s a dream come true honestly,” Irwin said. “It hasn’t hit me yet with what I’ve been blessed with and I told them in the interview that no matter what I wouldn’t be mad at nobody. I’m a Clinton County boy through and through and if I’m not doing it at this level I’ll be doing it on some other level as long as someone will have me. If that meant going back to little league or whatever … I’m content coaching Clinton County kids and being a part of what we grew up with. I’ve got big shoes to fill.”

Irwin said he already has a full summer scheduled and is eagerly waiting to get started officially as the head coach.

“Coach Messer and Beard already had our summer planned out before the decision was made, so that’s one thing I don’t really have to worry about this year,” Irwin said. “We probably have 20-25 games scheduled this summer and starting next Friday we will really get thrown into it.”

Irwin said as of right now he will have Storm Burchett on the sidelines with him and he’s hoping by the start of the season the other pieces will fall into place.

“We are going to know a lot about ourselves after the first week of summer,” Irwin said.