After 28 seasons as the Assistant Coach of the Mid-Prairie boys basketball team Chris Kern has been named the top man in the program. Kern served on the staff of long time head coach Don Showalter who took the head coaching with the boy’s team at Iowa City, City High earlier this spring. Kern found out about his hire Saturday and was excited about the opportunity. He talked about his plans for the team over the summer and the stamp he hopes to put on the program.

“We need to become a better shooting team,” Kern said. “Our big thing this summer is going to be in the gym or outside, or wherever. We’ve got to become better shooters this season, and then we’ll hit the defense this summer.”

Kern also said one of the people to congratulate him on his new position was former Coach Showalter. Kern spoke about their interaction and the relationship he is going to have with Showalter going forward.

“He [Showalter] called and congratulated me, we had a good conversation last night,” Kern said. “We’ll keep in touch through the season, and I told him I’d probably bounce a lot of things off him and he said I’ll be bouncing a lot of things off you too. It will be fun, we’ll scrimmage over Thanksgiving. The Friendship will definitely remain.”

Kern inherits a program that is coming off of a down season last year with an overall record of 5-19.