Prep Girls Basketball: Broncos name new coach

Kyle Williamson has spent the last six years in the background at Rancho Bernardo High. Now the 34-year-old will take center stage with the girls basketball program.

Williamson, who has been the Broncos’ boys varsity assistant basketball coach since 2009, was recently named the head coach of the varsity girls basketball team. He replaces Kai Harris, who left after four years to become the head coach of the womens basketball team at MiraCosta College.

“This is where I have wanted to be head-coaching-wise for a while,” said Williamson, who works in the Poway Unified School District as a resource assistant. “This is the job I have been hoping and waiting around for to come open.”

Williamson, who recently got engaged to be married, is walking into the perfect situation. The Broncos are coming off capturing their first San Diego Section championship since 1997, winning the Division III crown last year. They are returning all but one player from that roster.

“It’s exciting to have everybody coming back and to be walking into a program with a high expectation surrounding it,” said Williamson, who has coached many of the girls on the team when they played Bronco Ball as sixth, seventh and eighth graders. “It definitely makes for an exciting and challenging opportunity. I know our goals are set very high and the bar is definitely up there.”

Rancho Bernardo, which finished with a 14-12 record, will move from Division III to Division II next season. The Broncos’ up-tempo offense and high-pressure, trapping defense was key in their run to the title. That fits in perfectly for what Williamson likes to do.

“I have coached seven games in the summer already and have not even had a practice, but I can see already that the style of play definitely fits the way I like to coach,” he said. “I like to coach a lot of up-tempo, fast-pace, full-court press and half-court trapping. That is my style.”

Coaching runs in Williamson’s bloodline. His father is a retired high school basketball coach and his brother, Kevin, was the head coach for the boys basketball team at Cathedral Catholic in 2008-2009. Kyle was his assistant. Together they helped the Dons reach the section championship game. Kevin now coaches in college.

Kyle is hoping to keep the winning going at Rancho Bernardo.

“This is an exciting opportunity,” he said. “We are going to see what we can do to continue to replicate what the coaches before did here.”