JEFFERSON TWP — Dave Peters has made basketball a big part of his life. The Butler resident will now bring his love for the sport to the girls program at Knoch High School.

Peters, 44, was approved as the Knights' next coach by the school board Wednesday night.

“I'm excited to be part of the Knoch family,” he said. “I watched four or five of (Knoch's) junior varsity and varsity games last season. I think the program has a lot of talent and a bright future.”

Over a dozen people applied for the job, but Peters' attitude and prior coaching experience, both at Butler and Butler County Community College, earned him the job.

“He's very enthusiastic,” said Knoch athletic director Mike King. “It has been his ambition to become a high school head basketball coach and he is extremely organized and prepared for the job.”

Peters spent this past season as an assistant to Dick Hartung with the men's team at BC3. Before that, he spent a combined seven years as an assistant with the junior varsity and seventh grade girls teams at Butler. He takes over Knoch's program from Sean O'Donnell, who resigned after the Knights' 2-20 season last winter. In four seasons under O'Donnell, the Knights made the WPIAL playoffs twice.

Though the high school season is nearly seven months off, Peters is eager to put his stamp on the program.

“We need to get in the gym and work some bugs out,” he said. “My message to the girls will be that the losing stops now.”

Peters, who works at the Butler Vo-Tech in the Collision Repair Program, played basketball and graduated from Butler in 1988 before attending Indiana (Pa.) University.

His evolution as a coach was due in part to the help of several people.

“I need to thank (Knoch boys varsity coach) Ron McNabb, Melinda Rhoads and John Tabisz up at Slippery Rock and Coach Hartung,” said Peters. “They all helped me and taught me so much about coaching.

“My love for basketball has always been there,” he added. “I feel you have to keep learning as a coach. I've attended several coaching clinics over the past year and I bring a vast knowledge of the game as well as a combination of college and high school coaching experience. Right now, I live, eat and breathe basketball.”