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He'll slide over a seat next year -- Bluffton principal Robert Anderson confirmed that Macy will take over as head coach for the program next season, pending the school board's approval.
Finlen, the only head coach in the team's five-year history, resigned from the position late last month after compiling a 48-64 record.
"It was very clear he was the right candidate when he walked out of the interview room," Anderson said of Macy. "It was a consensus among the committee that he was the way it should go."
A hiring committee consisting of six members -- Anderson, athletics director Dave Adams, rising senior basketball player Ryan Combs, baseball coach Bryant Kitty, faculty member Cynthia Sprouse and booster club member Tracy Trimmer -- met with 12 candidates for interviews Wednesday and Thursday. Those 12 were selected from a pool of about 40 applicants, Anderson said.
After the two days of interviews, the committee agreed that Macy stood out above the pack, negating the need for a second round of interviews.
"I chose him. The reason I liked him is because he was determined," Combs said. "He had a lot of heart and a lot of fire in his stomach ... He has good chemistry with all the kids, so it's a good decision."
Macy already has forged a relationship with the players over his past three seasons as Finlen's assistant. He took over the reins as the team's defensive coach for much of last season.
Despite being just 30 years old, he'll bring an extensive coaching background that includes eight years of experience at the high school and college level. This, however, will be his first solo head coaching position.
"It's something I've worked for my entire career," Macy said. "To have that come true was a feeling of accomplishment."
Macy impressed the committee with his plan to build the Bluffton basketball program through younger age levels. He said he is already working with McCracken Middle School coach Gerald Wright to have the middle school team run similar practices to the high school in an effort to ease the learning curve for the Bobcats. He also will attempt to garner more community support for the team.
Macy is currently in the process of filling out his staff for the varsity team. He already has offered his assistant coaching position to Bluffton junior varsity coach Joe Bills, who was in the mix for the head coaching vacancy. Macy said Bills hasn't accepted that offer yet.
"It's not set in stone yet, but I want him to be (my assistant)," Macy said. "He wants to be a head coach, too, though. ... If it all works out, I think we'd work together well. I think we have the same vision for Bluffton basketball."
Macy began his coaching career as a co-head coach of the junior varsity girls team at Minnesota State University Moorhead, where he played basketball for four seasons and twice was selected to the all-conference team. He spent the following year coaching as an assistant at St. Joseph's College, a Division II program in Indiana. And prior to arriving at Bluffton, Macy was an assistant for Iowa City High School for three seasons.
