Shetzer right at home as Clyde's new boys coach

Eight years later, Jared Shetzer said yes to Clyde. Shetzer was approved as Clyde's boys basketball coach at Monday night's Clyde-Green Springs school board meeting, completing a courtship that began in 2016. Shetzer, who spent the past two seasons as a Fliers boys basketball assistant coach, turned down the Clyde job after leading Bay to the Division II final four eight years ago. "He came very highly touted back then and we had an opening and pursued him," Clyde athletic director Ryan Greenslade said. "Here we are eight years later. He's in a much different place. His family is a little older and that makes it easier. He has a great support system in Clyde. "A lot of people are pretty excited about it." Shetzer is in that camp. "Having the last two years off (from head coaching) put things in perspective for me," Shetzer said. "It wasn't an easy decision. It was a sit-down conversation with my wife. I talked to my parents and boys. It's a commitment. "My youngest boy thinks that if you become a high school coach you're famous. He said, 'Dad, we're going to be famous again.' I said, 'It's not like that, buddy.'" Shetzer was a highly successful coach at Bay, where he compiled a 139-80 record in nine seasons. As a 31-year-old coach, he guided Bay to the Division II state semifinals in 2016. Two years later, the Rockets lost by one point in a regional final to Lexington. Shetzer, a 2003 Clyde High School graduate, resigned at Bay two years ago, feeling the pull of home. "(Shetzer's) success was more than wins or losses," Bay athletic director Matt Spellman said in a statement after Shetzer's decision. "His ability to mentor young men as they moved through the program over the four years of high school was even more impressive. He has definitely left the program in good hands." Shetzer left Bay and moved back to Clyde. He is a seventh-grade World Studies teacher at McPherson Middle School and is completing his second school year in that job. "I got to a point where I wanted to be home and have my kids grow up with their grandparents, aunts and uncles," he said. His wife, Erica, works at the school. His mom will soon retire as the school librarian. His great-uncle was a substitute teacher and his grandpa was a custodian at Clyde High School. "I had my heart set on coming here (in 2016) but I knew I had a really good situation (at Bay)," said Shetzer, now 39. Shetzer interviewed in mid-April for the Clyde job that opened up when Ryan Fretz stepped down after eight years. Fretz subsequently took the boys coaching job at Tiffin Columbian. "I felt very comfortable in that interview and obviously they did, too," Shetzer said. "The vision I have of establishing a brotherhood here is attractive. I plan on applying the lessons of the first nine years of doing things and applying them to the kids in my hometown. "I get to influence kids in a positive way in a job I enjoy doing." Shetzer played football, basketball, baseball and tennis at Clyde. He said he was not a great athlete, calling himself a "JV all-star." He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Toledo and got his master's degree from Concordia (Ill.) University. After college, Shetzer worked as a long-term substitute teacher at Clyde and Genoa. He took a teaching job at Bay and was the JV girls coach for two years and coached the boys JV team for one season. He then was elevated to head coach. "I think they watched our JV games and liked the style," he said. "They took a chance on me. I've been fortunate. Things lined up for me." Shetzer prefers a fast tempo. His talented 2016 final four team averaged 80 points per game. "We pressed the entire game," he said. "We try to shoot between 70 and 80 shots a night. It's the way the game is trending." Shetzer got his up-tempo inspiration from former Loyola Marymount coach Paul Westhead, who was the focus of an ESPN documentary entitled "Guru of Go." Shetzer shared his views on the transition game with Clyde players during "Personal Growth Mondays" sessions. "We talked how we could grow as players and people," he said. "We also broke down film and talked about the transition game." "He does a great job connecting with kids," Greenslade said. "He has a great work ethic and his basketball knowledge is right up there with anybody." One of the duties of head coaches at Clyde is to run the biddy programs. Shetzer's three sons — Jett (11), Jax (8) and Duke (6) are no strangers to the gym. "That'll be a strength of his, having connections with the lower levels," Greenslade said. Shetzer plans to meet with the Fliers on Tuesday morning to outline summer plans. No doubt those will include getting up a lot of shots. He knows he has a star — high-scoring guard Brayden Olson — to build around next season, but the new coach wants everyone involved. "If you have five or six guys in double figures you'll have success," he said. "If you do that you'll get to your 80 and occasionally you'll have a kid pop for 30 or 40." Greenslade is excited to see what the future holds for Shetzer and the Fliers. "To have the same door open eight years later, that doesn't always happen," Greenslade said about the hire. "Now he might be more ready than he was eight years ago. He knows what kind of kids we have. They're hard-nosed and will battle."