The Chugiak boys basketball program will be under new direction as 38-year-old Orin Wear assumed the reins this week as tryouts began Monday.

A longtime Alaskan, Wear graduated from Delta High in 1990 after playing two years of varsity basketball.

After college, he returned to Alaska, coaching in Galena for seven years and taking the 2A team to five consecutive state tournaments, from 2003 to 2008, including a state title the last year.

Last year, Wear picked up a Master of Science degree while serving as the graduate assistant to the men's basketball team at Western Oregon University.

Wear is currently a math teacher at Palmer Junior Middle School.

Wear said that based on open gym sessions over the past two months he expects more than 40 athletes.

"We could have 50," he said Sunday.

Wear said he would be dividing tryouts into two groups Monday, but that he anticipated selecting a varsity team within a day or two.

"We have 10 days of practice prior to going to Ketchikan, and one of those days is tryouts," he said.

Wear said it is likely that the program will carry a dozen players on all three teams - varsity, JV and C team.

The program's JV coach is Steve Stone. A C team coach is yet to be named, he said.

Reach the reporter at editor@alaskastar.com.

This article published in The Alaska Star on Thursday, December 3, 2009.