Kurt Keener looks a bit like he stepped right out of a 1970s-era TV detective show.

His hair is longer than short. Sideburns creep down his face. He wears glasses that slide to the edge of his nose every few seconds and he has a toothpick in his teeth. All that’s missing is a tweed jacket with elbow patches.

But he is much more current than that, especially when it comes to coaching basketball. He started coaching in the 1970s, at Detroit Country Day, has survived to the present day and now is embarking on a new coaching job, with the boys’ team at Scottsdale Desert Mountain.

With 678 career victories under his belt and nine state championships in Michigan, the 57-year-old Keener replaces Todd Fazio, who took a teaching and coaching job at Mesa Red Mountain.

Keener was dressed like, well, an Arizonan when Desert Mountain took the floor against Mesa Mountain View in an exhibition game on Friday (June 21), prior to the official start of the 3^rd Annual Prime Time tournament presented by Monarch Sports at Gilbert Highland.

Keener, here about two weeks, wore shorts, sandals and a Polo-type shirt with the University of Arizona “A’ logo on it. His son attends the school in Tucson.

He is eager to get going, but says he “doesn’t get too worked up about some of the summer things. I’m not into wins and losses in the summertime. I just want to make sure they get out there and play and compete the best they can.’’

The Wolves, who reached the Division I semifinals under Fazio, fell behind Mountain View by 10 points at halftime, then showed some mettle to pull within a point before falling by four. Desert Mountain later fell to Gilbert by 10.

Keener also was Detroit Country Day’s athletic director. He had been talking to his wife about possibly moving to Arizona to “retire’’ and be closer to their son. Desert Mountain offered the perfect opportunity, he said.

 “People keep asking me how I’m dealing with the heat,’’ said Keener, who coached NBA players Chris Webber and Shane Battier. “Well, we didn’t have air conditioning in most of the gyms back in Michigan and it could get pretty hot and humid. All the gyms here are air-conditioned, so it’s fine.’’

Desert Mountain also has played in tournaments at Phoenix Paradise Valley High and Mesa Community College.

“We have a really good senior class,’’ Keener said. “We have some talented players. I am getting to know them and they are getting to know me.’’

There are a few differences between Keener’s philosophy and Fazio’s, but nothing that can’t be worked out.

Asked what he is like during a “real’’ game, Keener said, “I am pretty vocal. I do a lot of standing on the sidelines. I tell the players that they have to communicate. That’s what I try to do. I have a lot of intensity, not Bobby Knight intense, and I expect the players to play with intensity.’’

There were nine juniors on last year’s roster, and it appears most will be back. Jordan Higgins, 6-foot-5, and Mark Andrews, 6-6, are involved with football. Andrews is one of the top recruits in the nation as a wide receiver, and his basketball status is uncertain. Keener has spoken with him briefly.

“We have good leadership, depth and athleticism,’’ Keener said.

The team’s top player is Rolando Rhymes, a 5-11 point guard who is one of the fastest players in the state. Rhymes can cut, slash, dish and shoot and is capable of surviving among the big men with rebounding if the need calls for it.

“He is immensely talented,’’ Keener said.

He also likes the shooting touch of 6-4 Will Goff and 6-4 Remy Smith.

So it appears that Keener is well on the way to solving The Case of the New Coach.