GRANITEQUARRY — In a county where boys high school basketball is filet mignon, East Rowan has more often than not been hamburger.

The Mustangs’ newly hired coach, Derek Kurnitsky, plans to change the menu.

Kurnitsky cheerfully answers to “Coach K” but that shouldn’t concern UNC fans. He explains that his one-letter monicker is merely the short version of that mouthful of a family surname the Kurnitskys brought over from Russia. It’s not an attempt to copy that other “K” who’s doing OK in Durham.

East athletic supporters will eventually pass judgment on whether “K” stands for “Kook” or for “Keeper” but everything points to the latter. Kurnitsky is young (28), eager, more enthusiastic than the average Wal-Mart greeter and a proven winner at every basketball stop he’s made.

Kurnitsky’s dark eyes smolder with joy, reverence and competitive fire when he talks hoops. He’s a fellow who absolutely believes in himself and what’s he’s selling the citizens of eastern Rowan. He smiles broadly and shakes every hand within a quarter mile. He hands out lots of brash talk, but no trash talk. He’s persuasive, but not pushy.

“K” has big dreams, but also has a firm grip on the realities of the situation.

“East is a challenge,” he says with a grin. “That’s fine. I like challenges. I’m ready for it.”

The numbers say calling East boys basketball a challenge is like calling the Titanic a boat.

East’s players have traditionally played hard. Its coaches (Mark Flynn was the most recent) have coached hard and its backers have rooted hard. And yet, the statistics are hard to look at without wincing.

East hasn’t had a winning season since 1989. It hasn’t won the Moir Christmas Tournament or a conference crown since 1975. East is 18-100 over the past five years and 48-188 over the past 10. It’s lost 27 straight to West Rowan and 21 straight to North Rowan. It’s won two of its last 15 with South Rowan, one of its last 14 with Salisbury and two of its last 22 with A.L. Brown.

The neat thing about Kurnitsky is that he wads up all those numbing numbers and tosses them away like last week’s grocery list. He’s aware of the history, but could care less.

“What’s happened before doesn’t matter,” he says. “We’re starting over. It’s a new era, a new system. I’m not worried about the last 40 years, I’m worried about today, tomorrow and the next day.”

“K” will start fresh. He’ll begin by leveling with Mustang players, parents and fans. He’s going to give them the whole truth and nothing but. There are no shortcuts. There is no magic dust he can sprinkle around to make everyone grow a head taller. He brings no lightning in a bottle. He promises years of blood, sweat and tears.

“We’re just gonna roll up our sleeves and go to work,” he says. “We’ve got an administration that wants a winner and a community that wants it. That’s why I’m here. I’m committed 365 days a year to building a winner.

“ It’s like Churchill told Roosevelt: ‘Give us the tools and we’ll finish the job.’ This administration is giving me tools. I’ll finish the job.”

Kurnitsky is as comfortable talking about Pearl Harbor as he is Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, which gives away the fact that he’s a Social Studies teacher — and a good one. His teaching abilities sold athletics director Worth Roberts and principal Dr. Harry Starr on him at least as much as his colossal coaching record.

Kurnitsky’s a native of West Palm Beach, Fla. He went to Florida State University (you’ll know his vehicle by the Seminole sticker) and became a student manager for the basketball team. Those were the glory days of Seminole hoops — Bobby Sura, Charlie Ward and Sam Cassell kicking establishment ACC butt and taking names.

In those heady times, Kurnitsky learned at the knee of yet another “Coach K” — former Seminole head man Pat Kennedy — and soaked up hoops atmosphere on road trips to the Smith Center and Cameron Indoor. He knew he’d come back full-time to Tobacco Road if he ever got the chance.

But out of college, “K” stayed in the Sunshine State, coaching the Clearwater High jayvees to a 26-12 record over two years.

Then “K” got a call from Mitch Young, who had been part of Kennedy’s staff at Florida State. Proving it’s a small world, Young’s father, Jim, was the new coach at Davie County High, and was scouring the globe for assistants. “K” answered the call.

“I didn’t know where Davie County was,” says Kurnitsky. “They said, ‘You’ll find it.’ ”

Eventually, he did.

He got used to the absence of traffic lights and grew to love the small-town kids and the underdog rural 4A school that needed a basketball blood transfusion as badly as Billy Packer needs a gag.

“K” eagerly sponged up hoops knowledge from Young, just as he had earlier from Clearwater legends, Rudy Coffin and Pete Olson.

“Those three were great mentors,” says Kurnitsky. “They’ve got 1500 wins between them.”

“K” coached Davie’s 9th-graders for two years, then the jayvees last year. He went an astounding 56-4, winning three conference titles and consistently clocking West Forsyth and R.J. Reynolds teams that Davie boys aren’t supposed to beat. “K” has a simple explanation.

“I think I’m a player’s coach,” he said. “I can get kids to play hard. When you do that, average players can become good and good players can become great.”

Kurnitsky’s closeness to his Davie kids made his decision to accept the job offer at East an agonizing one.

“The toughest one I’ve ever had to make,” he said. “It was emotional, because I never won a single ballgame myself. Those kids won them for me. They’re the ones who gave me this opportunity.”

But a piece of the War Eagles will accompany “K” to Granite Quarry — with Young’s blessing.

“Ninety-eight percent of what we do will be the Davie system,” Kurnitsky says.

So get ready for lots of baseline picks and lots of opposing coaches’ screams of, “Hey, that’s a moving screen!”

All “K”has to do now is unearth Mustang versions of Davie bombers, Duane Phillips and Sean Stevens, whom the Young system transformed into bigger-than-life superstars.

“We’ll find ’em,” says Kurnitsky, eyes blazing.

“K” will implement the Davie system at Erwin Middle as well as East. It helps that veteran Erwin coach John Cherry will assist the Mustang varsity this season.

Kurnitsky will be introduced to Mustang supporters at “Meet CoachK” night this Thursday at 6 p.m. in the school cafeteria. “I’d like to see, oh, seven thousand or so,” he says with a chuckle.

Kurnitsky’s speech to Thursday’s huddled masses yearning for a winner will be simple. Something along the lines of, “If we can do it at Davie, we can do it here.”

The folks who come Thursday will love Kurnitsky. If it can be done, this guy’s the one.

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Contact Mike London at 704-797-4259 or mlondon@salisburypost.com .