A little over a decade ago, Henry Hines’ time as the Clifton Central girls basketball coach with 109 wins over 11 seasons had come to an end.

He never fully stayed away, especially in recent years, as his granddaughter, senior Emma Koch, and niece, junior Mia Perzee, worked their way up to the high school ranks under the coach who followed Hines’ footsteps, Rebecca Swigert-Fenton.

“For the last few years I’ve been sitting in the stands watching, and I was like, ‘I’m good right there,’ ” Hines said. “It’s something that people have reached out and told me never happens – usually when a coach leaves, they never come back.”

Not only did Hines come back as a fan, but after Swigert-Fenton resigned after last season, Hines has made his return on the sidelines this season.

Hines, who led the Comets to a school-record 23 wins in both 2007-08 and 2008-09, has helped guide the Comets to a 20-11 mark through the regular season. It’s their first 20-win season since the Comets matched the school-record with 23 wins in 2016-17.

“We’ve been working really hard, been working as a team and trying new plays,” senior point guard Eriannah Martinez said. “His main thing is he needs us to learn to play basketball before he can teach us to play basketball. Basically, he wants us to learn how to play as a team before throwing us plays.”

With three losses that came down to the last possession, Hines knows that the Comets’ record could be even better – perhaps even another 23-win season – as they begin postseason play with a home game against Momence in Saturday’s IHSA Class 1A Clifton Regional quarterfinals.

But the wins aren’t as important as Hines’ primary objective of teaching the game to his players, something he admitted has taken a little adjusting as he’s returned to a game that’s much more 3-point and perimeter-oriented than it was when he stepped away.

“I love to teach the game,” Hines said. “I talked to some of my former players and coaches, and they said I shouldn’t just sit there; I have too much to teach these girls.

“The girls are just used to running plays; we want to get them playing free and playing loose,” he said. “I want everyone to shoot it, rebound it, dribble it and defend. Just play basketball. Before I leave, I will teach the girls to play basketball, whether it’s this year, next year or the year after.”

Hines said it was Koch and Perzee as well that really drew him back to coaching. Koch said that her grandpa has always been one of her biggest fans and supporters, and having him as her coach now is just an added blessing.

“It’s a different experience from anything I’m used to, but I put aside that he’s my grandpa,” Koch said. “But it’s been really fun. I just think he’s a great coach, so him being my grandpa means a lot. ... He’s been to all my games, and he’d always talk to me about basketball. He’s just always been part of my life, especially in basketball.”

Now, Koch’s friends and classmates she shares the court with are also getting to see what makes Hines more than just a coach. For Martinez, Koch’s self-proclaimed best friend, she’s gotten to enjoy Hines’ humor.

Whatever it is that draws his players closer, Hines said that while important, the X’s and O’s aren’t what got him back into coaching. It’s the relationships.

“The thing that I missed the most is the interaction with the kids,” Hines said. “I don’t do this just to coach; I build relationships. I have girls that I coached, still to this day, Thanksgiving or Christmas time, when they’re home, they reach out, or you see them in the stands. Some people are just a coach, not me. I’m in it to build relationships and keep them going.”