When Washington needed someone to step up and coach the junior varsity and varsity boys’ basketball teams through the rest of the season, athletics director Jon Blank knew exactly whom he could rely on.

Ralph Biggs is still relatively new to coaching. He’s in his second season managing the Lady Pack JV and varsity teams, but has shown plenty of promise already. He helped lead the varsity team to a 10-12 finish last season. His efforts got him named 2-A Eastern Plains Conference coach of the year over Neal Carr, who coached 2-A state champion North Pitt.

He’s no stranger to immersing himself in basketball, though. The Washington native played four years of Division I basketball at Towson. He went from student-athlete to professional basketball player afterwards. Biggs, a small forward during his playing days, competed across Europe from 1998-2014.

Of course, coaching four high school teams is a lot different than playing professionally or balancing basketball and school, but the time management skills are similar.

“You can kind of compare it to when I was a player and I had to get there early for treatment, then go to practice, then watch video, then go home,” he said. “That’s kind of the same four or five hours I put in there.

“The only difference then was I didn’t have another job and I didn’t have to manage that much time. Here, it’s from four or five o’clock till nine, I’ve got to give some time to the kids. We’ve got another month or two.”

Biggs’ first week leading the four teams was a bit of a whirlwind. He a few days to prepare for their trip to Beddingfield, but upcoming exams made it tough to get practice time. He only got in one formal practice with his new squads.

“It’s been a lot for me to try and get to the point to coach all the teams,” Biggs said after the games on Friday. “I have to find out what needs to be done for each team and what the players like to do. It’s taken a toll.”

Biggs said he needed this weekend to step back and recuperate from that first week. The former Belgian Basketball League MVP is still adjusting to the extra roles, especially when it comes to game day.

“The biggest difference is my locker room talks,” he said. “I’m out here on the court while my next team is in the locker room. They’ve got to come out here and warm up, and then we have our talk on the bench. Just stuff like that.”

Assistant coaches Lindsey Harris, Gary Burgess and Darren Walker have helped immensely, he said.

“We’ve got a system we’re working out,” Biggs said. “I’m learning a whole lot from trying to keep everything straight. I’ve got plays for this team and plays for that team. I keep them all in my head. … Funnily enough, in the girls’ game (at Beddingfield), I wanted them to do something I was trying to teach the guys.”

It’s a work in progress. The boys have already shown signs of Biggs’ influence in one game with him as bench boss. There was a lot of motion to their offense. If not for picking up 10 fouls in the third quarter against the Bruins, Washington would have had a chance to earn its first conference win.

Biggs and the Pam Pack return to action on Friday at North Johnston. Like the Pam Pack, the Panthers haven’t won a league contest yet. It will be a chance to gain some upward trajectory heading into the final half dozen games of the season.