When Jerod Horchem, 26, graduated from Ransom High School in 2001, he probably never thought he would one day step foot in his high school gymnasium as a coach.

But that’s exactly what has happened.

Since graduating from York College in York, Neb., in December 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in agriculture, Horchem has been filling the shoes of a coach.

He played basketball for the York College squad, though he didn’t see a lot of time on the court.

“I hardly ever played,” he said. “I was the hatchet. I was the guy you checked in to hurt someone on the other team.”

Horchem knew the game, though, so after his graduation he was hired on as a full-time assistant. At the end of the 2006-07 season, he didn’t continue on as an assistant coach. He decided to move back home to Ransom.

“Ultimately, I just want to be a farmer,” he said.

Diving into the rural and agriculture life he desired still didn’t keep him away from basketball.

In 2007, he was hired on as an assistant for the recently consolidated Western Plains High School, which combined the Ransom Longhorns with the Bazine Indians to produce the Bobcats.

For two years Horchem helped lead the Bobcats, and when the 2009-10 season rolled around, he didn’t foresee an deviations from the plan.

Again, he was wrong.

Due to a last minute coaching change, Horchem became the head coach of the Bobcat boys’ basketball team just a few weeks prior to the season beginning.

Horchem said he is glad to be coaching, even if it was a last-minute switcheroo.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to coach.”

Having a passion for the game, he didn’t waste time and got to work devising his strategy for the season. The primary focus thus far has been practice. The team is currently into its third week.

Practice hasn’t always been easy.

“It’s been alright,” Horchem said. “We’ve got a bunch of hardworking kids. They just need to believe in themselves. We’d be in a lot better shape if they thought they could win.”

The lack of self-confidence is mental hurdle that must be overcome, Horchem said, because the mentality that high school basketball is supposed to be work and no fun except on game days, when the team was supposed to go out and lose a game, is totally false.

“When it is the first of the season, why not be excited to go out there and knock the crap out of someone?” he asked.

The Bobcat boys share the WPHS gym with the Lady Cats team, so time management is very important, Horchem said.

“It’s kind of hard to fit everything into a small window of practice time,” he said. “(The team learns) things well. A lot of it they did last year. Some of it is exactly like last year, and some of it is new with my own spin on things.”

With more time, concepts and skills might be further advanced, especially as the team prepares for its first game Friday night at Ransom, but Horchem isn’t too worried about the season stretching out before him.

“I guarantee we’ll play hard,” he said. “They’re the hardest working kids you’ll ever see. We may win or lose, but we’ll play hard.”

A key component to that hard work is going to be defense.

“We want to be a scrappy bunch and keep ourselves in the game,” Horchem said.

Horchem said he has been pushing the team hard, and he wants to instill a strong work ethic and a lot of self-discipline.

“If you hustle, things will turn out well,” he said.

Horchem is hoping the hustle on the court will be led by his two seniors — Shane Corsair and Eric Dysinger.

“They’re both seniors and played a lot of minutes last year,” Horchem said. “It feels like they’ve been here a long time.”

Horchem said he went to school with the two seniors’ older brothers, so he said it is pretty neat to be coaching them.

“I’ve watched them grow up,” he said. “They’re both working hard and have their priorities. They’re both good kids. It would just be nice if one of them could dunk.”