Roger Holmes accepts athletic director position at Fountain Valley

Roger Holmes has resigned as Ocean View High boys’ basketball coach and accepted a role as boys’ and girls’ athletic director at his alma mater of Fountain Valley High, he said Saturday.

Holmes, 58, played basketball at Fountain Valley before graduating in 1978. He has been boys’ basketball coach at Santa Margarita, Marina, Fountain Valley and most recently Ocean View, where he shared head coaching duties with Tim Walsh from 2014-15 through this past season.

“It’s kind of a career goal of mine, to be an athletic director,” Holmes said. “Being at Fountain Valley, where I played, that’s a nice thing to be able to get.”

Holmes said that former Fountain Valley athletic director Dennis Piramo will now be the head wrestling coach. He added that he does not plan to coach boys’ basketball at Fountain Valley. The Barons currently have a walk-on head coach, D’Cean Bryant.

“I’ve coached for 39 years now,” Holmes said. “I think I’m ready to take that athletic administration role and do as good a job as I can, to make things as good as possible for the coaches to do their thing.”

In four years as co-coach with Walsh, Holmes led Ocean View to four straight Golden West League titles. This year’s Seahawks team went 24-5 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 3AA playoffs.

Walsh, who is finishing up his 10th year as Ocean View athletic director, stepped down as co-coach in April. That left the job to Holmes, but now someone else will coach the Seahawks.

“One of the main reasons I went to Ocean View was to see if we could keep the traditions that [late Ocean View coach Jim Harris] established going,” said Holmes, who coached under Harris at the school during the 1980s. “It’s been great at Ocean View. Tim’s been great to work with, and we have good kids in the program, great parents in the program. It’s a difficult job to leave, but the timing’s pretty good for me. Career-wise, not many opportunities like that will come along.”

Walsh said he’s not planning to return to coach at Ocean View with Holmes leaving. The head coaching position will be opened to applicants, first those within the Huntington Beach Union High School District.

“We’re going to check out our internal options and possible external options too,” Walsh said. “We have a little bit of work to do to find the right fit for us. Most importantly, Roger’s my friend and I want to support him. I’m happy he’s where he wants to be.”

matthew.szabo@latimes.com

Twitter: @mjszabo