The West Des Moines Community School district did not have to look very far to find a new head boys basketball coach at Valley. The district announced assistant coach Brian Ricke as the new leader of the Tigers beginning with the upcoming 2025-26 season.
Ricke was on the staff the last two years as the Tigers won their second and third consecutive Class 4A championships. Valley also captured gold in 2023, as Windhorst announced plans to step down after four titles overall in 11 seasons.
"Coach Ricke was a key part of our last two state championships," Windhorst said in a release provided to KCCI. "He brings energy to the team, and his practice, game prep and rapport with the players are top level. The team respects him and knows he'll work hard to put them in a position to be successful."
Ricke spent time as a team manager with the University of Northern Iowa men's basketball program and was an assistant coach at William Penn University before joining Windhorst's staff.
Valley is coming off a 23-4 season in which they knocked off Waukee Northwest in the 4A finals. They will be replacing key players Zay Robinson, Kiki Deng, Marcus McGregor and Trevin Jirak, as Jayden McGregory returns along with Colton Roemmich and Keane Jorgensen.
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