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Webber backtracks, will be United's next coach

It's back home again for Ryan Webber.

Webber, the boys basketball coach at Warren for the last three seasons, decided this week that he couldn't pass up the chance to be back with his family, not to mention the family he grew up with on the basketball court.

On Monday, Webber was approved by the United Township school board in East Moline to become its new boys basketball coach.

Webber grew up in and played basketball for nearby Galesburg, which is in the same conference (Western Big 6) as Class 4A United Township.

Before he arrived at Warren, the 34-year-old Webber also coached in the Quad-Cities. He was the head coach at Moline from 2009 to 2012 and led Moline to a regional championship in 2011.

"I'm from that area. I played there, I coached there, it's home for us," Webber said. "My wife (Megan) grew up in Galesburg, too. Both sides of our family are there, grandparents, siblings, cousins and tons of friends.

"When this (opening at Untied Township) came up, it sparked our interest. I like the school, academically and athletically, and the direction it's going. And it's a great area and atmosphere for basketball. You'll get 4,000 fans on a Friday night for basketball games. It's really special there."

Webber believes he had something special going at Warren, too.

The Blue Devils didn't win any state tournament hardware over his tenure, but he liked the progress he saw in his players. Webber was 50-40 over his tenure and won at least 15 games each season.

"We put a lot of time and effort into the program and the kids," Webber said. "Warren is a great place to be. I worked with great people and the kids were great. I coached extremely good kids for three years.

"You develop so many great relationships with people and you become attached. Even the coaches at the other schools in our conference … I became good friends with them.

"That's what made this decision so difficult. I mean, in many ways, it was agonizing."

But all Webber had to do to come to the right decision was turn to his family. He knew that going back home was the right decision for his wife and his two young daughters, 8-year-old Olivia and 4-year-old Avery.

He told officials at Warren of his decision last week.

"It's not like I was looking to leave Warren, but in the end, I felt like I made this decision for my kids," Webber said. "At this stage, I think it's best for all of us to be back in that area so that we can be around all of our family that lives there."

Webber, a physical education teacher at Warren, will fill that same role at United Township. He will remain at Warren as a teacher through the end of the school year.

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