New Hermiston High School head boys basketball coach Romaine Smith supervises players July 8, 2021, during a set of drills at a practice at the high school.

HERMISTON — The Hermiston High School boys basketball team has gone through its share of coaches as of late. The hiring of Romaine Smith makes him the third coach in four years, but the longtime Prosser assistant coach is ready to hit the ground running.

“I saw an opening and I applied,” Smith said. “In my mind, I have been ready to be a head coach since 2017. I was just looking for the right opportunity.”

Smith, who replaces Drew Preuninger, will teach physical education at Hermiston come fall.

“We are very excited to add Romaine Smith and his family to our program and the Hermiston community,” Hermiston Athletic Director Larry Usher said. “Finding a coach with the passion and excitement for basketball that ‘Coach Ro’ has is not easy these days, and we are certain that his energy will translate to a very positive culture in our program.”

Smith and his wife Josefina have five children. Their middle son Marcus will be a senior at Prosser High School, while Kiana will be a sophomore and Jacob a seventh grader.

“We gave Marcus the option of where he wanted to be, and he wanted to stay here,” Smith said. “I will be making the commute for a year.”

Smith has been the boys assistant basketball coach in Prosser since 2013, and has worked with the football team since 2011.

Smith already has held a few summer practices and scrimmages, and finds the players and talent he has on his roster encouraging.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I believe in myself. I don’t have a bare cupboard. There are kids in the program who can play. We are just going to go compete. I have had a few practices. We had our first summer league games (June 30) and lost a heartbreaker to Pendleton. Then we got cleaned out by Kennewick. My tallest player was 6-3, and their shortest was 6-4. We have work to do — they know it and I know it.”

Smith also said he sees more potential coming that he can tap into for the program.

“I have a lot of young talent, and there are good seventh and eighth grade classes,” he said. “I’m confident in my ability to make us competitive sooner than later.”

Smith grew up in the Seattle area and graduated from Chief Sealth International High School in 1996, where he played football, basketball and track for the Seahawks.

He played college football at Eastern Washington University, where he was a 6-foot-4, 200-pound wide receiver.