Changing of the guard with Buhach Colony basketball

John Bliss feels the time is right to walk away from coaching.

The Buhach Colony High School boys basketball coach is retiring after 28 years of coaching, including 21 as a head coach.

Bliss coached the Thunder for eight seasons, compiling an 88-133 record with four playoff appearances.

“I think looking forward to next year, there’s a lot of great kids coming back,” said Bliss, who also coached the Merced High girls. “The kids coming back are very coachable kids. I think there is a bright future. I just figured it’s time for me to do something else.”

Shane Gentry is moving from the Thunder girls to take over the boys program. In six seasons with the Thunder girls, Gentry compiled a 90-71 record, leading Buhach Colony to two Central California Conference championships and four postseason appearances.

Gentry also coached the Buhach Colony boys from the school’s opening in 2001 until 2003.

“I feel it’s an opportunity to finish something I started years ago,” Gentry said. “I’m excited for that opportunity. This was my first head varsity job. I almost feel that things were left out there that I didn’t get a chance to finish.”

Gentry is doing something Bliss did when he came from Merced in 2010 – switching from coaching girls to boys.

“There’s a lot of differences in the game,” Gentry said. “The boys game is a lot faster. I do think girls are more coachable. With boys, you have to be more stern and command it. I think girls are eager to do more. With boys, you have to prove your way is the way it will work.”

Bliss felt it was time to focus on other aspects of his life. He can devote more time to teaching, work toward his master’s degree and his family.

“I’m going to miss the Wednesday and Friday nights, that competition,” Bliss said. “I’m going to miss games, period. I love practice, too. But there is also a lot of other things that go into being a head coach. I won’t miss the fundraising, the paperwork, all the prep, scouting and watching film.”

Bliss started his head coaching career at Merced High, where he compiled a 199-179 record in 13 seasons. He enjoyed his time there, but moving to Buhach Colony gave him the opportunity to be with his family. His three kids attended Buhach Colony and his wife, Michelle, was working at Buhach Colony when he took over the boys program.

“My time at Merced was awesome,” Bliss said. “I spent more years there than anywhere else. That’s where I got my feet on the ground. I learned a lot on the job. I was blessed to have a lot of great student-athletes there. We had five girls sign Division I scholarships and two girls sign Division II scholarships and a lot more play junior college basketball.”

One of Bliss’ highlights at Buhach Colony was coaching his sons, Jared and Nathan. Jared came back as an assistant coach last season and will be on Gentry’s coaching staff.

“I don’t think it’s ever an easy decision to retire, especially when you put in almost 30 years of your life into it,” Bliss said. “It’s something you think about a lot. For me, it felt right. Weighing all the time factors and the energy that goes into coaching, the time was right for me.”

This story was originally published April 18, 2016 at 6:34 PM with the headline "Changing of the guard with Buhach Colony basketball."