While standing in centerfield during the start of extra innings in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, Coco Crisp said he already knew it would be his last game.

Though he was quoted months after his Indians lost in storybook fashion to the Chicago Cubs on Nov. 2 saying he was still looking for the right playing opportunity, Crisp says now that he had little plan of playing past 2016. He opted against taking the route of David Ross, Derek Jeter and David Ortiz – making his exit from the MLB a farewell tour filled with gifts and standing ovations – and instead rode off into the desert after 15 seasons.

Quite literally.

Monday, the former major leaguer and Shadow Hills athletic director Ron Shipley announced that Crisp has been hired to lead the program’s varsity baseball team, following in the footsteps of Xavier Prep football coach James Dockery as former professional athletes recently returning to the valley to impact young athletes’ careers.

“Anytime you get someone who’s played at the highest level, that’s exciting,” Shipley said. “His knowledge of the game is tremendous, and he’s been part of the game most of his entire life and is excited to share his knowledge with our players and our program."

For most of his career, Crisp owned a house in Desert Hot Springs. He bought a house there when he was 20 and just beginning his stint in the minor leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals organization, joining his parents and grandparents who had previously moved to the area.

Crisp has since bought two homes in Rancho Mirage and is in the process of selling both of them, while renting out his home in DHS and making plans to build another home in the valley from the ground up. The 2007 World Series champion with the Red Sox said his decision to step away from baseball, despite offers to either play, coach or broadcast baseball professionally, was an easy one – he wanted to spend time with his family while his children are in their prime years.

“The last few seasons, it was a grind trying to play healthy. Up until that point, I thought I could play till I was 50, but my kids are getting older, and I’ve had a long career already,” he said. “The combo of my health not being where I wanted it to be and my kids getting older made it an easy decision to hang up my cleats and try to be in a position where I could help them grow as a father.”

A couple months ago, Crisp began poking around local high school baseball programs in the area. He’d just finished coaching his oldest son Caden’s Little League team in Palm Desert, alongside his father, and the Crisp trio brought home a title.

About a week after Shadow Hills’ season ended with an opening-round playoff loss to Victor Valley, former Shadow Hills coach Jason Beck departed the program after just one season. Through the coaching relationships Crisp had cultivated on the Little League diamonds, he caught word of an opening for a head baseball coaching position with the Knights. Not long after, he drove over to the school, loved the relatively new facilities and the talent the Knights were returning.

For Shipley, the prospect of hiring a former major leaguer whose physical skills and game acumen are still as sharp as ever was a no-brainer, making the pair a perfect fit.

“If you play at the highest level, the players know you know what you’re talking about. It’s not like he’s been out of the game for 20 years," Shipley said. "He can still perform the skills and demonstrate, and I think the kids will enjoy having him around.”

Crisp and Shipley met together Tuesday morning to begin laying the groundwork for the program, and they both hope to set up time for the team’s new head coach to meet with his players soon.

Those relationships Crisp will begin to build, he says, are just as important to him as the game of baseball himself. Even though he won’t be on school grounds inside a classroom Monday through Friday, Crisp said he still sees himself as a teacher – someone with skills important for his students to learn that could greatly impact their futures.

“I’m going to be teaching baseball,” he said. “I was very fortunate to go to places that had good managers and coaches and players. The knowledge I gained is something I’d like to share and hopefully get this desert growing as a baseball community.

“It’s not as big as LA, but I think the possibilities out here are just getting started. Things are just starting to roll, and hopefully I can make those possibilities come true. Everyone wants to be a professional player, and it’s hard to get looks here, but maybe I can get a kid a look from someone that wouldn’t have gotten one otherwise.”

Get to know Coco Crisp

Born Nov. 1, 1979 in Los Angeles

Attended high school in Inglewood and college at Los Angeles Pierce College

Drafted in the seventh round of the 1999 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals

Played his first MLB game with the Indians on Aug. 15, 2002 against Tampa Bay

Played for the Indians, Red Sox, Royals and Athletics

Won a World Series with Boston in 2007 and lost to the Cubs in the 2016 World Series with the Indians

Finished his 15-year career batting .265 with 1,572 hits, 130 homers, 639 RBIs and 309 stolen bases