**Courtesy of the Record Eagle

BUCKLEY — Buckley High School officials announced the hiring of Josh Gray as the new head coach of the Bears' varsity boys basketball program. Gray replaces Jared Milarch, who had been a part of the Buckley boys basketball program for the last eight season.

"We are extremely excited to have Josh joining to lead our program after the departure of Jared Milarch," Buckley Athletic Director Todd Frazee said. "Jared did a good job and has been a part of the Buckley program for 8 years. We have nothing but good things to say about him and where the program stands as he hands off the reigns."

The Bears finished 14-9 overall and took second in the Northwest Conference in the 2022-23 season. Buckley suffered a first-round defeat in the district tournament, falling to Mesick by a 58-43 final.

Frazee said what really jumped out about Gray was how much importance he placed on developing the program from the ground up, starting at the elementary-school level and promoting work on the fundamentals of the game at an early age for future high school players.

Frazee also praised Gray's attitude toward fostering lasting relationships to keep the student-athletes engaged in season and motivated year round to work on their game no matter what level they are at currently. Gray already has experience developing players from the area during his time as a coach with the Parallel 45 17U program.

"He's a northern Michigan guy, and he wants to raise his family around here," Frazee said. "Buckley has a great community following and basketball tradition in which he can do that."