JEFFERSON TWP — Franklin Regional's loss is Knoch's gain.

Rob Greenleaf, 42, was hired as the Knights' varsity girls basketball coach during a South Butler School District board meeting Wednesday night.

Greenleaf has 14 years of varsity head coaching experience in basketball, including the past four years leading the Franklin Regional girls team. He has been a senior sociology teacher at North Allegheny High School for eight years and will continue in that position.

"Traveling an hour to get to practice every day from North Allegheny was getting difficult," Greenleaf said. "It was wearing on me, knowing some of that time could be spent preparing for practice.

"I live in Hampton, only 15 minutes from Knoch, so the travel situation here will be much better."

Franklin Regional was 4-17 under Greenleaf last year, but the Panthers had only one senior and she was lost to a knee injury.

The program made the WPIAL playoffs twice in Greenleaf's four years at the helm.

"When I took over there, we had 15 players and 10 of them were freshmen," Greenleaf recalled. "It was a complete rebuilding situation.

"Six of those freshmen will be seniors next year. It's tough to leave them. I built a good relationship with those girls and it's hard leaving them behind, but timing is timing."

Before coming to Franklin Regional, Greenleaf coached varsity boys basketball for three years at North Allegheny, four years at Northgate and three years at Franklin Regional.

He was head coach of the 1997 Franklin Regional team that defeated Butler in double overtime of the Western Final. The Panthers lost the state title game by five points that year.

"I was 28 when I first got the Franklin Regional boys basketball job," Greenleaf said. "Unofficially, I think I was the youngest boys head coach in the WPIAL at the time."

"The boys job opened up at Franklin Regional this year and I didn't get it. Frankly, I was upset about that. I'm not gonna lie."

Greenleaf took NA's boys to the WPIAL playoffs once and got there one time with Northgate in Class AA. While he was trying to return to coaching boys, he says he's adapted to coaching girls.

"I learned a lot my first two years at Franklin Regional," he said. "I understand the differences between coaching boys and girls basketball and I've gained a lot of patience as well.

"I'm excited about coming to Knoch. We have a chance to have a really good team next year. I'll work hard at it. I'm a very detail-oriented coach."

Greenleaf said he likes to play an up-tempo, fun brand of basketball.

"Franklin Regional and Knoch are in the same section, so I'm familiar with the teams we'll be playing," he said. "I got to know the athletic directors (Josh Shoop) father (Les) when I was coaching at NA.

"The interview process was awesome. It felt like a good fit on both sides."

Greenleaf takes over the Knoch post from Curt Vasas, who guided the Knights to a 15-9 season last winter that ended with a 44-23 loss to West Mifflin in the first round of the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs.

Vasas coached Knoch's girls basketball program for six years. He decided to resign after accepting an assistant principal position at Canon-McMillan.