LeVonte Allen is returning to the Big Nine.

The broad-shouldered post for the 2012 Class 4A state champion Davis Pirates and college baseball player is taking the reins of the West Valley girls basketball program after three seasons leading Naches Valley in the SCAC.

The West Valley school board approved the hiring Tuesday at its biweekly meeting.

In three seasons leading the Rangers, Allen compiled a 51-27 record. In his second season, Naches Valley shared the conference regular-season title with Zillah, and returned to the state tournament for the first time since 2007.

Once in the Yakima Valley SunDome, the Rangers upended two-time defending champion Nooksack Valley, and rallied from an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Seton Catholic to advance to the trophy round where they claimed sixth place.

“That was fun and people talk about that year,” Allen said. “But I feel like that first year was the start of the believability.”

He’ll take over a Rams program that tied for second place with Eisenhower behind two-time 4A state champion Davis in the regular season.

West Valley has yet to get pass the opening round of state in 4A, and hasn’t earned tournament hardware since placing sixth in 2A in 2008.

“I think there’s still the expectation to win and win state trophies,” he said. “We want to compete at a high level, and get that to be the norm.”

The Rams did not have a senior on this past winter’s squad and were led by sophomores Sloane Kneisler, a first-team all-CBBN guard who averaged 15.4 points per game, and honorable-mention selections Myah Bartel (10.8 ppg) and Jordyn Winslow (8.4 ppg).

Fellow 10th-grader Peyton Goins was second on the team with 39 3-pointers made, and averaged nearly 8 points a contest.

Allen, who played for Hall of Fame coach Eli Juarez at Davis and displays much of the same calm sideline presence, replaces Lorenzo Juarez, who finished 24-19 in two seasons.