Je’Taime Silas won’t have to go far for his next head coaching job.

The longtime Lee-Huntsville girls basketball coach will take the same position at Grissom High School, he confirmed to AL.com.

Silas was approved by Huntsville City Schools at a scheduled board meeting on Tuesday.

“Honestly, I really wasn’t looking for the move,” Silas told AL.com. “I actually was calling for two other coaches, and then the school talked to me and shared with me some of the perks and everything like that. I was like, ‘Maybe it’s time for something different.’ I really wasn’t looking for it, this was brought to me as I was trying to help others, like I always do.

“The main thing is something new, different area, everything like that, and more so of a ‘let me take this challenge.’”

One of the longest-tenured coaches with one program in north Alabama, Silas spent 13 seasons as the head coach at Lee-Huntsville and compiled a 232-159 record.

Along with five 20-win seasons during his tenure, Silas led Lee-Huntsville to a 26-7 record and a Class 5A runner-up finish in 2022, which marked the program’s first appearance in the state championship game.

Silas’ teams have also won five area championships and made a regional appearance in four of those seasons.

After spending 19 seasons all together at Lee, Silas said the love his teams have felt from the community made the change a tough one to consider.

“The community really buys in when you’re doing something that they feel is representing them to the fullest,” he said of Lee. “That’s what I’ve seen at Grissom as well, a lot of community support, tradition and everything. That’s one thing at Lee, it really is family. Everybody buys in and really supports in so many different ways.

“Looking in the city, north Alabama period, everybody really loves a good product. That’s my challenge as a coach, is to bring the excitement on the court and for everybody to love to watch and thrive off us playing and be proud of the product. I feel like Grissom was headed that way.”

While going 6-16 last season, Grissom made an appearance in the Northeast Regional two years ago.

Silas said he sees plenty of potential within the program and looks to build on the foundation given to him.

“I believe that the coach before, of course, they did a pretty good job, from what I’ve seen. I know they went to the regionals and everything like that,” he said. “I know the potential is there, the hunger is there, and I want to just continue what the last regime kind of started building, and just build more on it.”

He looks forward to continuing to grow the sport in a loaded north Alabama area and taking the reins of a Class 7A program.

The Tigers play in a loaded Area 7 that also includes Albertville, Sparkman and Huntsville.

“Every night, you really have to prepare yourself to go against some good coaching and everything like that,” Silas said. “Going up in classification, of course, is going to be a challenge, but I do believe just playing in this area has really helped over the years.

“One thing I do want to do, and continue to do, really in the city, is continue to build on the feeder programs. I do believe a lot of good basketball players start in the city, and they go out in north Alabama and make those programs even better. I do want to really get the city schools to continue to build and be more relevant as well.”