Pat Kennedy, an assistant girls basketball coach at Wakefield High for the past four years, has been named as the school's boys varsity head coach.

Kennedy, 42, is a native of California and had been a head boys coach at Santa Rosa High and Montgomery High in northern California before moving to Wake Forest.

He has been a big part of the women's program at Wakefield, helping coach  teams that lost only five games during the past three years. He filled in for Coach Danielle Blackburn four seasons ago when she was on maternity leave.

"I'm very excited to get the boys job," Kennedy said. "I had always coached boys until I came here. This was the third time the boys varsity job had opened since I have been here. I didn't apply either of the other times, but felt the time was right this time."

Kennedy, who received degrees from Chico State and Sonoma State in California, said he and his wife were ready to relocate and chose North Carolina.

"We had a friend move to Cary and we heard nothing, but good things about the area," Kennedy said. "I visited during spring break and decided it would be a great place to live."

Wakefield athletics director Dexter Cooley said he was pleased to have someone has capable on the staff.

"He is great with the kids," Cooley said. "He works a lot with our SGA [Student Government Association] and is known throughout the school."

Kennedy replaces Paul Dooling as coach. Dooling resigned after one season.