WARDSVILLE, Mo. - Kevin Kohler is not exactly easing into retirement.
After retiring from public education in 2011 after 29 years that includes stints as a coach, teacher and administrator, Kohler has branched out into a number of activities.
The latest one he's adding will be a return to the sidelines.
Kohler was introduced Thursday as the new varsity girls basketball coach at Blair Oaks, and he was excited to get to work.
"I'd been looking for something to do that was really fun that I'm passionate about, and this came along," he said.
Kohler was a three-time Tri-County Conference Coach of the Year while at California, and he also spent time as the head coach of both boys and girls during a stretch at Jamestown. The return to coaching seemed to be a foregone conclusion, as it's in his blood.
"I've been a basketball nut all my life," he said. "My dad coached football and basketball at Tipton when I was a little kid, so I've been in a gym all my life."
While technically "retired," Kohler has a lot more going on than some who are gainfully employed. He's currently a pastor at Calvary Baptist Church and a real estate agent at the Mehmert Group, with another hobby on the side.
"I have lots of hats, but they're all little part-time deals," he said. "Calvary is a very small church here in town and I sell real estate here in town, that's probably my bread and butter.
"Plus I sing with a trio called the Calvary Road Trio about three times a month. Perfectly for this, there's not much of a call for it in November, December, January and February. About the time basketball is over is when we pick it back up."
Oh, and there's also the not-for-profit service camp Kohler and his wife, Sue, run in the summer.
"It's a faith-based camp called Mid-Missouri Mission Team, and we did our 11th year this past year," Kohler said. "We camped at a school and had about 200 teenagers come out and then they go and do service projects for senior citizens for a week. ... My wife said, "Your best week of the year is 3MT, when you're around all those teenagers.' She got me thinking about what could I do."
So when a job coaching teenagers came open, it seemed like a good idea. Plus, it was just the kind of coaching fit he was looking for.
"I'd been asked several times to be somebody's assistant coach, but I don't think I'm cut out to be an assistant coach," he said. "And I say that humbly, but I just haven't been in that role for a really long time. I don't know if I could do it."
It seemed to be an even more perfect fit with his son's family breaking ground on a house this week in Wardsville.
"I've got grandchildren that are going to be part of the school," Kohler said. "So I was telling my wife, "We need to get involved with that school out there.' I didn't realize at the time I said it, about two or three months ago, that this would be what I was talking about. It all just started lining up."
The final piece of the puzzle might have been disc replacement surgery Kohler had back on April 1.
"I'm back to where I can do what I want to do," the 56-year-old said.
Blair Oaks athletic director Ryan Fick, who was part of the search team that selected Kohler, along with superintendent Jim Jones and principal Gary Verslues, said Kohler is a good fit for the program.
"We are excited to have Kevin join our coaching staff," Fick said. "His experiences in education and coaching will be an asset to our girls basketball program. His passion about the game of basketball and teaching kids the game was very evident throughout the interview process.
"He's excited to hit the ground running and begin preparations for the upcoming season."
Kohler said he's not too worried about having to catch up on any developments that have taken place while he's been away from coaching.
"As far as the X's and O's, I'm not concerned about that - I think I've got it. We'll find out, I guess," he said with a laugh.
He added that's because of one simple fact.
"When I was a young coach, the X's and O's were real important to me," he said. "And they're still important, but I thought they were the difference between winning and losing. What I found out is that doing them correctly is a lot more important than anything you could draw up on the board. I'm a stickler for detail."
The playing style for his new team will be an uptempo one.
"I love full-court pressure defense - I always tell everybody that's my best offense," he said. "If I had my preference, I'd like to have a rotation of 10 so you're running fresh bodies in and out all the time. The kids like it because it gives them more opportunities, and I like the fast pace of the game, it gives us more opportunities to score."