Two hours before his coaching debut Thursday night, Thunder interim coach Don Gramenz could not open the locker room door.
"I never had the keys before," he said, as he unsuccessfully tried virtually every one on the ring. "Maybe I don't have the key."
The Thunder is hoping otherwise. Gramenz replaced Amos Magee, who stepped down Tuesday after 21/2 seasons and a 16-35-22 record as Thunder coach.
Team President Manny Lagos offered Gramenz the job, and he accepted without hesitation.
"Like I told my players, I took this position because I've seen how this team has performed and I know the potential," he said.
He also knows the challenges. Thursday's 2-1 victory over Seattle at the National Sports Center in Blaine ended a 10-match winless streak. The team entered the night four points out of the final playoff spot, something it has not qualified for since 2004.
"The expectation is to get this team back on the right track and build their confidence," Gramenz said.
A Thunder midfielder/defender from 1991 to 2003, Gramenz was regarded as a player who instilled confidence in teammates. He played almost three months with a cast on his right wrist in 1999, keying the Thunder's A-League championship run.
Gramenz joined the Thunder coaching staff in November after serving as boys' soccer coach at Bloomington Jefferson in 2007.
Playing with energy not seen in Sunday's 1-0 loss to Rochester -- Magee's final match -- the Thunder erased a 1-0 halftime deficit with goals from Brian Kallman and Melvin Tarley only three minutes apart in the second half.
"I could tell we were down at halftime," Gramenz said. "But I told the guys, 'We're going to score if we just keep playing dangerously.'"
