Russ Beck knows plenty of backwater airports and roads across the United States thanks to a nearly two-decade career coaching men’s college basketball.

He was an assistant coach at Dixie State College in its junior college days, as well as Salt Lake Community College, Western Nebraska College, College of Southern Idaho, Southern Utah University and most recently, College of Southern Nevada.

The college coaching world is busy, filled with constant recruiting, scheduling and what-ifs as far as other coaching jobs. It’s not filled with much family time.

“As I looked back over the last 10 years, you can continue that same path or I just kind of felt a desire to be a little bit closer to my own kids as they come through the building and to be around them,” Beck said.

Having more family time is a big reason Beck is entering the high school coaching world this school year as Box Elder High School’s new boys basketball coach, a position he accepted in May along with a PE teaching position.

He and his wife Charity have four children: the oldest just finished a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Virginia, the next oldest daughter is entering her senior year of high school and their two boys are going into eighth and fifth grade, respectively.

“This way we’re traveling down to Clearfield and Bountiful. When I was at Southern Nevada and Western Nebraska and some of these other places, I mean, you’re traveling three or four days just to go to Montana or go somewhere else,” Beck said.

What Box Elder is getting in Beck is an experienced college-level coach who wanted to leave the big city and go somewhere a little quieter.

Previously, Beck won 124 games in seven seasons as Western Nebraska head coach, then moved to the head coaching spot at Cedar High (Cedar City), where he stayed from 2016-19 before taking over as College of Southern Nevada’s first-ever men’s basketball head coach in 2020.

He coached three seasons with the Coyotes, going from four wins to 13 to 14, despite having zero scholarships to work with and playing the same conference as junior college basketball powerhouses Salt Lake Community College and College of Southern Idaho.

Beck said he’s a positionless basketball coach — that’s where the game is trending — and likes to go man-to-man on defense. One challenge he’ll face is simplifying things on offense and defense, coming down from the more complicated college world to the high school world.

But if there’s a stat that’s indicative of Beck’s coaching philosophy on offense, it’s free throws. CSN ranked ninth nationally in free-throw attempts last season and 12th in free-throw makes (and also 110th in free-throw percentage).

The grind of the college basketball coaching world, however, was enough to prompt him to look at leaving.

“People (in the college game) will call and say, well, if I get this job would you come with me … to be honest with you, I’m just kind of tired of dealing with the what-if lifestyle. I just want it to be simple, this is what I do, this is where I’m going to be. I want to build the best program in Northern Utah,” he said.

Beck has helped build good teams at SLCC, CSI and WNC, but never stayed to see out the success. He said he wants to stay at Box Elder long term.

“I think they have some good, hard-working kids here. That’s something that I wanted. Supportive parents, supportive community, big enough school that at the 5A level, the number of kids– you’re gonna have some talent,” Beck said.

Beck replaces Jace McKee as Box Elder basketball coach. McKee is moving into school administration this school year. The Bees went 14-9 last season and advanced to the second round of the 5A state playoffs.

Beck continues Region 5’s theme of new boys basketball coaches. Roy High, which moves into an eight-team Region 5 next year, hired Ryan Hannah to replace Scott Hunt, who accepted Morgan High’s head coaching job. Both Bountiful and Viewmont have new coaches as well.

Connect with reporter Patrick Carr via email at pcarr@standard.net, Twitter @patrickcarr_ and Instagram @standardexaminersports.

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