LIBERTY – Steve Arnold was sitting on his deck with his dog when he got a call. It was Liberty athletic director Todd Smith.

Smith – who coached football with Arnold – was looking for a new boys basketball coach, and he wanted to talk. Originally, the former Warren G. Harding coach thought Smith needed help in the search. Instead, he wanted to discuss Arnold’s interest in returning to the sidelines.

Initially, Arnold wasn’t sold on the idea of returning to the high school coaching scene after stepping down as the WGH football coach less than a year ago. But Smith slowly started to convince Arnold to return.

Jump to Monday afternoon, and Arnold was sitting inside the Liberty High School auditorium. He listened as the board of education members congratulated him on his new position as the head coach of the boys basketball team.

“I came over to an open gym and I watched the kids play,” Arnold said. “I just said to myself, ‘I hope that I can do something with these young men and have them grow as young people and obviously be a very competitive basketball team.'”

Arnold is no stranger to basketball. Prior to becoming the Raiders’ football coach, he served as the hoops coach for over a decade, coaching the Raiders from 2002-12.

“To me, a coach is a coach. Now, things have changed, and you have to get accustomed to the new way basketball’s being played and coached, but I’m comfortable in doing it,” Arnold said.

It wasn’t just the prior connection that drew Smith to ask Arnold to come out of retirement. He knew the energy that followed Arnold, and he thought the hire would benefit the students and send a message to the community.

“Our kids get to experience his leadership,” Smith said. “They get to see someone who’s been there, done that. And they get to learn from somebody that’s got a wealth of experience, not just in sports, but in life.

“Our high school, it’s a big deal. I think people will see this hiring as a little bit of a surprise. But we aren’t, because we know what we’re building here. We have a phenomenal superintendent in Brian Knight, we have Tom Zetts – who has enough of his accolades in his own right – here as a principal. And I’m just along for the ride with these guys, because I think people will start to notice we’re turning this place around.”

Arnold stepped down from coaching at Harding to work at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center that opened behind Mollenkopf Stadium in Warren. He said he will continue to work at the wellness center while coaching at Liberty.

The lifelong coach isn’t taking time to adjust to his new surroundings. He’s already coming up with a plan to get his players ready for the upcoming season.

“It’s like riding a bike,” Arnold said with a smile.