LAKEWOOD — There’s no place Lakewood basketball coach Anthony Wiederkehr would rather be.

“I don’t want to coach anywhere else or move on to a bigger school, this is where I want to be,” he said. “I see it as a second chapter to my basketball career at Lakewood.”

His first chapter was playing on Lakewood’s basketball team from 2002 to 2006; he holds the season-high school record of 1,132 points.

After that, he played for Western Washington University’s basketball team for five years, where he majored in communications and mastered in business.

Now, the 26-year-old works as a finance manager for AeroMech Inc. in Everett.

He watched from the passenger’s seat as Lakewood’s assistant coach under predecessor David Choi, who thought Wiederkehr would be the perfect replacement when he left to coach Decatur High School in Federal Way.

“I hadn’t really thought about it until David asked me,” Wiederkehr said. “We had a really good relationship, and we were on the same page so it was an easy transition.”

Wiederkehr brings his youth, college experience and attention to detail when it comes to the “little things” to his coaching program.

“How I coach is how I was raised to play basketball from fifth grade to my years in college,” Wiederkehr said. “Playing at Western has helped me understand that it’s about who performs the little aspects better that separates the good teams from the bad teams.”

Some of those little aspects include what to aim for when doing layups or getting the ball out of the hoop and up the court to keep the opposing team off balance.

“It’s learning how to perfect those given the context of the game,” Wiederkehr said. “College teaches you how to fine-tune those, and that’s what I’m trying to bring.”

Having collegiate ability left in the tank allows Wiederkehr’s practices to be more hands on.

“Youth is definitely an advantage,” he said. “They really pay attention to that. To the kids that want to learn by watching, I think that helps.”

“What I like is that I can play with them in the off season,” he said. “I am able to show them what I mean when I teach them and implementing the new basketball philosophies I have learned at Western.”

His dynamic approach to practices has helped players grasp concepts and improve skills while staying shape.

“He played our style of basketball not too long ago,” senior team captain Chance Schueller said. “That helps a lot.”

“The uptempo gets us in shape and prepares us for in-game situations,” fellow captain Hunter Fritz said.

The Lakewood Cougars are 6-5 overall and 1-4 in the 2A conference.

“I always had a desire to take this program where it’s never been — the state tournament,” Wiederkehr said. “The goal right now is to build off of every win and get to districts.”

The Cougars next games are away at South Whidbey Tuesday, Jan. 13 and hosting Granite Falls Friday, Jan. 16.