Warren Central boys basketball coach Chareck Cable has been fired, Vicksburg Warren School District Superintendant Dr. Elizabeth Duran Swinford confirmed Thursday.

“It was a joint decision between me and principal (Jamie) Creel,” Swinford said of Cable’s dismissal. “With Mr. Creel being the new principal at Warren Central, we were aiming for a new direction with a different staff. The starting point was the boys basketball position.”

Swinford said Creel will form a committee to select a new basketball coach, the second in two years.

After coach Jesse Johnson was fired at the end of the 2010-11 season, it took the district five months to hire Cable, who had been an assistant coach at Brandon High School for five years.

Two other coaches in the Mississippi high school ranks — Lanier’s Thomas Billups and former New Hope coach Richard Byrd — declined offers for the position.

Swinford said she is confident Creel will select a quality candidate, but he also will face a big challenge.

“I will hold him accountable for the result,” Swinford said. “And like I have previously said, he will hire a teacher first that can coach. It’s going to be a difficult slot to fill, because the problem we have at Warren Central is that we have too many PE (physical education) teachers.”

Cable’s one season as coach got off to a rocky start.

He was suspended by the school district for five games and the team was banned by the Mississippi High School Activities Association from postseason play after it was shown to be practicing before the statewide start date. The school also was fined $1,000.

Warren Central lost its first five games while Cable served his suspension, but finished with a 10-14 record. The win total was WC’s highest since the 2006-07 season.

The Vikings had two notable accomplishments during the season. They won in the Red Carpet Classic for the first time in five years, and claimed their first divisional victory since 2006-07 when they defeated Greenville-Weston in the final home game.