Harvey Moynihan had his winter plans all laid out.

He wasn’t returning as an assistant coach with the girls’ basketball team at Gray-New Gloucester. Instead, he was going to get a membership at the YMCA, get involved in an exercise program and organize some three-on-three basketball games.

That all changed when G-NG coach Ken Butler took a job with the women’s program at Providence College in August. That left the Patriots without a coach and an opportunity that Moynihan couldn’t refuse.

“I live here, and I felt a little bit obligated,” said Moynihan. “The kids said The coach has left and all the seniors have gone.’ I decided to think about it, and I thought about it for a weekend.

“I guess maybe the time was right. The opportunity came about, and it kind of interested me because there was a challenge there.”

So after being out of the game as a head coach, the longtime coach at North Yarmouth Academy and G-NG couldn’t stay away. Five seniors that had been part of teams that reached the Western B final three straight years and back-to-back state games had graduated. So the program was starting fresh.

“Some kids called me, and when kids ask you do it, that makes it kind of different,” said Moynihan.

A Social Studies teacher at Gray-New Gloucester, Moynihan has been coaching for more than 30 years. He coached the G-NG boys’ to a state title in 1976 during his 15-year tenure. He also coached at NYA for 14 years.

He’d had ample opportunity to take over the Patriots boys’ program in recent years but had declined. He was an assistant with the boys’ two years ago and assisted Butler last winter.

“I had a chance to get away from that for two years,” said Moynihan of the pressures of being a head coach.”

He’ll be assisted by his son, Scott, who coached with him at NYA. Jay Wilkins will continue to be the JV coach.

Because he had intended to take the winter off from coaching, Moynihan had no contact with the program during the summer. By the time Butler resigned, the summer season had ended. Still, Moynihan steps in with as much knowledge of the players as most anyone else would.

“I got to know what will be the nucleus,” said Moynihan. “They were mostly JV players.”

The Patriots went 16-2 last year before losing in the Western B semifinals. Senior Leanne Waterman is the only returning player that saw much action. The rest will be mostly underclassmen. He said he may only have three seniors.

“There’s a very good nucleus of five sophomores, four of them started on the JV team,” said Moynihan. “I think it will be fun.”