New Marietta boys basketball coach Matt Lyons and his wife, Andrea, are anxious to become true members of the community and take an active role. Right now, there are only two things getting in the way.

First, there's the hour-plus commute back and forth from Carrollton they make every day while their house is on the market; and second, Matt Lyons has been trying to prepare for Dec. 1, his first official night in the decision-maker's chair at end of the Blue Devils' bench - where one man, Charlie Hood, sat for 37 years while winning 715 games, making 20 playoff appearances and capturing two state championships.

But during the limited times they have been able to get out and experience Marietta, they are finding it is feeling like home.

"We love the tradition here," said Andrea Lyons, who teaches American literature and is in charge of the Pitchfork, Marietta's student newspaper. "We love the school spirit, and Marietta has that small-town feel."

After spending 13 years in Carrollton, first in college as a player at the University of West Georgia and then working at Carrollton High School, that small-town atmosphere was a big reason Matt Lyons chose to pursue the Blue Devils coaching job when it was reported Hood was retiring.

The 31-year-old Lyons had other chances to become a head coach at other schools after helping the Trojans to a 59-29 record and two region titles over the last three years, but he and Andrea had become significant members of the community and had all their friends in the area. Lyons it would take an offer of a truly special job in order to leave Carrollton.

"It was only the last three or four years that I took interviews," he said. "But (because of our situation in Carrollton) I could afford to be picky to where I would interview. I shot for the moon every time, because if we moved I wanted to go somewhere where we would be comfortable starting a family.

"When Marietta came open I said, 'Man, that's a big job,'" Lyons said. "But, once I made up my mind we decided lets go do it, let's check it out."

During the interviewing process, Lyons said he tried to be confident and be himself. In the end Lyons said he felt that could have been the difference in getting the job.

"I think I proved in the interview process that I was going to work my tail off," he said.

Working his tail off was how Lyons got to Georgia in the first place.

Lyons was born and raised in Bowling Green, K.Y. where he started playing basketball about the same time he started to walk.

As a member of a nationally ranked Greenwood High School basketball team, Lyons started all four years along side good friend Damian Fishback, who would later go on to play four years at Auburn, and helped his team to two deep playoff runs in the Kentucky high school playoffs. It was here the seeds of becoming a coach were planted, but Lyons said it wasn't apparent to him at the time.

"It was a great ride through high school," he said. "I played (shooting guard or small forward) through high school and college and I was the athlete. I would always guard the other team's best player. I was the consummate team player making sure the right player had the ball at the right time. I had a high intensity level and everyone knew how hard I would bring it."

After high school, Lyons said he could have gone to a lower-level Division I program, sat on the bench the first two years before finally seeing the floor as a junior and senior. But instead, he wanted to play, which led him to West Georgia, where he still owns the record for most games played, and found not only an education, but a home.

Lyons knew his playing days would likely not last much past college, but he knew he wanted to stay connected to the game. At first he wanted to try broadcasting, but found he didn't like all the things that went with the job when the games weren't going on. He then started studying psychology.

It was about that time he began getting to know Carrollton varsity basketball coach Tim Criswell. A friendship began and upon graduation, Criswell made him an offer, Lyons first coaching position as an assistant varsity coach and coach of the JV team at Carrollton. Lyons accepted the job, and would eventually become an assistant baseball coach, too. The only challenge was he had no experience in teaching.

Lyons returned to school for the necessary credits to gain his teaching certificate and began working at Carrollton as a paraprofessional in special education, teaching the severe profound disabled students - students with impaired cognitive abilities, adaptive skills and life functions. While many people would have considered that a difficult way to begin a teaching career, Lyons said it was something that was second nature to him.

"I grew up with two cousins with muscular dystrophy," he said. "I just gravitate toward those kids and hope to help them become successful (in life)."

In all, Lyons would spend nine years at Carrollton, but that changed as he was walking off the field in Peach County just after the Trojans baseball team advanced to the Class AAA final four when he got the call that he was going to be the new Marietta basketball coach.

"I got off the phone and said, 'It's real,'" he said. "That was a real phone call. It brought a lot of joy and a lot of sadness."

The joy was getting what amounted to a dream job; the sadness had to leave Carrollton. Those emotions are behind him, but now he is trying to get used to being a head coach.

"It's a little surreal sometimes," he said. "But it's like wearing a badge of honor. It's a matter of pride."

It's also led to a few interesting moments when he's had the chance to go out into Marietta.

"Sometimes I get funny looks," he said. "People will look and say, 'he's a little younger than I thought.'"

He's also said other people had no idea Hood had retired.

However, Dec. 1, when the Blue Devils take the floor at Cherokee, everyone will know there is a new coach in town, because that's when the ball goes in the air for real.

Will the team look different than before, yes, and because of that, Lyons asks everyone to be patient as his players continue to learn and understand exactly what they are supposed to be doing at any given point in the game.

"There are some moments," Lyons said. "There are some moments when everything works and they can see how it will be successful."

As for that game with the Warriors nine days from now?

"I'm definitely anxious to get going. We're building team unity, but the players learning the new systems have been a little slower than I expected. But, I'm able to teach the game of basketball, and that's fun for me."