POLAND – It didn’t take long for Poland Regional High School to find a new varsity boys’ basketball coach.

Less than a month after Chris Willer resigned to become an assistant basketball coach at his alma mater, St. Joseph’s College, once of his assistants, Gregg Rose, has been named his successor.

Rose, 29, spent the last three years as JV coach and as an assistant to Willer. He has just begun his third year as a varsity football assistant.

He inherits a team that finished last season at 3-15 and missed the Western Class B tournament for the first time in three years.

Poland advertised for the position, but co-curricular director Don King said Rose has paid his dues and deserved the first crack at the vacancy.

“He’s been in the program for three years and he’s done a great job. I would be remiss if I didn’t give him a chance at the varsity position,” King said.

“I really hope to take it in the same direction that Chris had it in. He did an excellent job,” Rose said. “The kids know me and they know my expectations, so I think it will be the best transition for them. I’m looking forward to this year. It’s going to be an exciting year for me in general.”

Rose said he doesn’t favor a particular style of basketball, rather taking advantage of the strengths of his players. The Knights lost three players, including leading scorer T.J. England, who flourished in Willer’s preferred up-tempo style

“This year, we’re probably going to be a bigger team, so we’ll probably go a little slower style. We’re going to be more of a slow it down, pound it inside type of team,” Rose said.

“We’re going to still be a young team, so we’re going to need someone to take a good leadership role,” he added. “There’s only a few seniors this year and we’ve got a lot of juniors and sophomores that are coming up that are going to be really good.”

Rose teaches physical education at Elm Street School in Mechanic Falls. He and his wife, Sarah, live in Poland and are expecting their first child in early November.

Rose played basketball all four years while attending high school in Newport, Vt. He then attended the University of New Hampshire, where he played football for two years. He finished his college career at Lyndon State College in Vermont, where he played baseball and basketball for three years. He finished his basketball career with over 1,300 points and 500 rebounds and helped lead Lyndon State to a Mayflower Conference title and a spot in the NAIA Division II tournament.