COLUMBIA CITY – The Columbia City boys basketball program will be directed by a familiar face.

Brett Eberly, who has been the JV coach for the Eagles since 2007, was recently hired as the new varsity head coach.

Eberly replaces Chris Benedict who left in April to take over as head coach at Bluffton High School. Benedict, who won 291 games over the last 18 years as the coach at City, left after he was not hired in March as the new athletic director at City. The school board chose to hire Khelli Leitch to replace longtime City AD Geoff Penrod, who retired.

Eberly came to Columbia City originally in 2000. He served as the freshman coach for the Eagles from 2000-02 and then as a varsity and JV assistant from 2002-06. Eberly then was the head coach for one year in 2006-07 at Caston High School, where he went 4-17, before returning to Columbia City in 2007.

Eberly, who is a graduate of Manchester High School and Huntington University, teaches match at Columbia City.

The Eagles went 20-7 during the 2015-16 season and won a Class 3-A sectional title. Columbia City lost 11 seniors from that team however, including Indiana All-Star Brachen Hazen. Hazen will play at Arkansas next year after originally signing with Central Florida, The top returnee for the Eagles is 6-7 senior-to-be Parker Hazen, who is getting Division I interest after averaging 15.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game his junior year.