Buehner said he is hoping to bring more consistency to the program.
“We’ve got to get our junior high and youth teams back to fundamentals and get everyone excited about Valley View basketball again,” said Buehner, who played varsity hoops for three years at VVHS from 1998-2001. He is fifth on the school’s career scoring list.
Buehner has been an assistant basketball coach the past two years with Brian Lemke, who resigned at the end of this season to spend more time with his family.
Lemke compiled a 23-40 record in three seasons as the Spartans coach.
“I’m pretty excited,” Buehner said about getting his first basketball head coaching job. He was head baseball coach at Preble Shawnee for one season in 2008. “I’m a pretty mellow guy, and I learned that from being a point guard in this program.
“You work and strive for things, and you have to take it all in stride when it happens,” he continued. “But you also have to keep doing the work. That will be a big part of our philosophy.”
The Spartans won the Southwestern Buckeye League Southwestern Division title three of four years, concluding the run in the 2002-03 season. The next season , Valley View posted a 15-7 record but hasn’t had a winning record since.
Niswonger said there were eight candidates for the position that “were really strong coaches.”
“Anyone of them could have been the coach,” Niswonger said. “It really came down to three, and the deciding factor was Ben works in the building. It’s good to have someone you can promote from within.”
Buehner said the job was a dream come true.
“Basketball is my first love,” Buehner said. “My dad was a coach in the program for 15 years, I played, and my brother (Ted) played. I’ve always been around it, and I’ve always wanted to be part of it.
“This community has so much passion for its sports,” he continued. “I want to get everyone involved and feeling part of the program.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2852, or sweaver@coxohio.com.