[6/20/03]Preston Wilson got a first look at his new team eight days ago and, as he did when he arrived at Warren Central, he’ll have his work cut out for him.

The former coach of the Vikings, who resigned to accept a job at Shreveport’s Woodlawn High to be closer to his ailing father, said Thursday that talent is there, but boy are they young.

“They lost eight seniors,” Wilson said. “It will be a challenge. But it is a lot easier to bring in your own system with a lot of young guys then guys that have been there for a while.”

Wilson brought his system to a young Vikings’ team two years ago when he made his first major move from Brook-haven to Vicksburg. That move, in part, was to be closer to his father, who lives in Gibsland, La.

After suffering through one losing season, the coach who was not used to having losing seasons guided the team to runner up finish in the Division 4-5A Tournament and a playoff spot.

In the end, though, even Vicksburg wasn’t close enough to his small hometown, located about 35 miles from Shreveport.

“Me being the oldest son and being away for 13 years, I just thought it would be better to be closer to home,” he said. “That was one of the reasons I took the job at Warren Central to be a little closer to home.”

Besides losing a proven winner as a coach, Warren Central loses one of the most respected teachers in the school. The social studies teacher had plans on leading the school’s Advance Placement classes.

He said he’ll start his tenure at Woodlawn as a physical education teacher, but may try to get back to teaching academic classes. He’ll also continue to pursue his master’s degree at Louisiana Tech.

“At some places, phys ed is not required and you don’t get the best students,” Wilson said. “Every coach is a teacher and you have to be a teacher to be a coach.

“… Some of the best teachers are coaches, but there is a perception that they don’t put everything into it.”

Wilson said he will also lean on some of the school’s more famous athletic alumni NBA Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtics great Robert Parish and Pro football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw to try to move the program to a higher level.

“I will definitely try to get him in here and at least talk to our guys,” Wilson said.

Also, Wilson expressed interest to Warren Central girls coach Donny Fuller about coming over to play in the annual Warren Central Classic in late November. No plans have been made, however.

At Warren Central, a coach has yet to be named, but assistant coach Jesse Johnson is among five candidates being interviewed.

Although his time at WC was short-lived, Wilson believed he left the program in a very good situation.

“They have a lot of talent in the ninth and 10th grades,” Wilson said. “There are also some young big men that Warren Central hasn’t seen in a while.”