—Phoro by Iowa Central athletics Former Iowa Central assistant coach Ky Kramer has been named the new boys head coach at St. Edmond.

St. Edmond did not have to look very far to find its next head boys basketball coach.

The school announced on Wednesday the hiring of Ky Kramer to replace Adolph Kochendorfer, who retired after leading the Gaels to the Class 1A state basketball championship in March.

Kramer, who played and coached at Iowa Central, was part of the middle school coaching system at St. Edmond this past season after taking a break from being on the sidelines.

“Selfishly, I missed the game of basketball,” Kramer said. “I missed coaching, teaching and being on the court. St. Edmond has always had a really good history of being competitive at basketball with great support through the community, the school and alumni.

“That right there is enticing in itself to return to coaching.”

A graduate of Cedar Rapids Jefferson where he was a three-year starter, Kramer would go on to play at Iowa Central for legendary head coach Dennis Pilcher, twice being named all-ICCAC.

From there, he attended and played at Midland University and Mount Mercy University before a stint on the coaching staff at Cedar Rapids Jefferson as an assistant. After that, Kramer returned to Iowa Central to serve on Chad Helle’s staff for several seasons.

“We are so excited for Ky to take the reins and lead the program,” SEHS activities director David Flattery said. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and coaching experience to the table, and I know he’s ready to jump right in and make a positive impact on our kids.”

Kramer is currently employed through Holy Trinity Parish as a cemetary sexton.

He will step in for Kochendorfer, who led St. Edmond to a second state basketball title, finishing the year 26-2 overall. The Gaels graduate five senior starters, with junior Ty Mericle, freshman Logan Hanson and sophomore Thomas Ehn among the key returning players.

“I’m excited for the challenge,” Kramer said. “We’ve got a number of guys coming back who were on varsity and battled with those seniors every single day in practice. It’s exciting thinking about getting them in open gyms and seeing what they can do over the summer.

“I know a number of them are already playing basketball this spring and we are looking to continue that through the fall until the season starts.”

Kramer is married to former St. Edmond standout Theresa (Doyle) Kramer. The two have two daughters, Chandler and Halston.