Everywhere Kevin Santiago turns as a youth basketball coach in Utah Valley, he sees players or coaches he knows.

Back in high school, he recalls playing against Phil and Jimmy DeGraffenreid (Salem Hills), Chris Kitchen (Springville), and Quincy Lewis (Lone Peak).

Then there’s the BYU connection as he’s run into former Cougar basketball players like Marty Haws, Andy Toolson, Kevin Nixon, Mark Heslop and Randy Reid.

As a player at BYU from 1988-92 and before that at Provo High School, Santiago certainly earned his place in the local basketball fraternity.

Now the former Bulldog will join the coaching fraternity as well — by “crossing the tracks” and taking over the top spot for his former rival school.

Timpview principal Todd McKee announced Friday morning that the Thunderbirds had hired Santiago as their new boys basketball coach.

“Kevin Santiago brings a wealth of experience as a player,” McKee said. “He’s going to bring a lot of energy and passion to the position, so we are excited to have him.”

Santiago said being around the Timpview players and being a part of that local community are what he is looking forward to most.

“I’m totally excited,” he said. “I’ve been around basketball my whole life, and now I see this as a chance to pay it back.”

He spent last season as the sophomore coach for Timpview and before that worked extensively with kids in pre-high school basketball. McKee said that experience helped Santiago to stand out in a “very deep” pool of candidates.

“The more you know about a candidate, the better off you are,” McKee explained. “We know how he interacts with the boys and with the community.”

Santiago said that element helped everything fall into place.

“When I start looking down the list of players, I know a lot of the kids,” he said. “I can hit the ground running. They know I played at BYU and have hope that I know something about game. The parents also know my temperament and coaching style.”

He will take the position vacated by long-time Timpview coach Perry Wildeboer, who announced his resignation at the end of March. Wildeboer said he wanted to spend more time with his family, but Santiago said the decision was a big surprise to him.

“I didn’t see it coming,” Santiago said. “I have big shoes to fill. That’s the bittersweet part of it. I came in to help and then the next year I have the job. But it should be fun. It’s a good group of kids and a great situation.”

The Thunderbirds finished the 2012-13 season with an 18-4 record including a 78-58 loss the Sky View in the first round of the 4A state playoffs.

McKee said he believes the Thunderbird basketball program won’t miss a beat with Santiago at the helm.

“I believe it will allow us to continue what we’ve built and become over the last 15 or 20 years as well as take the next step as a program,” the Timpview principal said. “He bring energy and passion and those are key ingredients.”

Santiago won’t be a full-time teacher at the school but will continue working as a local businessman in addition to his coaching responsibilities.

The new T’Bird head coach said he plans to put tremendous faith in his players, just like his high school coaches did for him.

“My temperament is to believe in them,” he said. “We’ll teach them what to react to, then we’ll just play and have fun.”

The hiring of a new boys basketball coach adds another element of change to the Thunderbird athletic program. Timpview will also be bringing in a new athletic director this summer — Mike Hunter, who has been at Mountain View — but McKee said he things the school is in good shape.

“It’s all about getting the right people in right spots,” he said. “We’ve put together a solid team and I’m excited about the future of Timpview athletics.”

Daily Herald sports editor Jared Lloyd can be reached at 801-344-2555 or jlloyd@heraldextra.com. He can also be followed on Twitter at @JaredrLloyd.