Exira-EHK recently announced that Tony Santisteban will take over as head boys basketball coach from Doug Newton. Santisteban has been an assistant coach under Newton for the past 10 years and now gets to take over for the school he played for. He said it’s a bit of dream come true.

Newton has led the Spartans program for over 20 years and has been in the district for 31 years. Newton leaves with a record of 335-194 during his tenure. He led the Spartans to a state tournament appearance in 2011, a team that Santisteban was a senior on. Santisteban played under Newton,  graduating in 2011. He led the Spartans with 12 points and 3.2 rebounds per game during that state tournament season. Santisteban said he knows he has some big shoes to fill.

He hopes that his experience as a coach and player will help him be successful but he knows it’s going to take a strong team atmosphere to take the program to the heights he hopes to.

He said the support he has already received from many people in the district has been overwhelming. The Spartans are coming off a 19-5 season in 2022-23 that ended with a loss to West Harrison in the substate semifinals. Santisteban said he’s looking forward to summer league, camps, and just getting to work with the team.

Listen to the full interview below.

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