1. Where did you grow up? Where did you go to high school and college? What sports did you play in school?

I grew up in Waverly, Nebraska. I went to high school in Waverly before earning my Bachelor of Science in Education, University of Nebraska Lincoln, 2004; Masters of Education Administration, Concordia University, 2012; and Masters of Curriculum and Instruction, Peru State College, 2019.

In high school I played football, basketball and track. Back then I think we were expected to do all three though either way I don’t remember there being a choice. But I loved taking part in extra curricular activities for the community of Waverly.

2. How did you first get interested in coaching? Did you have somebody who got you excited about coaching as a career?

I was fortunate to coach youth basketball in Waverly for about ten years. I had not really thought about it but a community member, Dick Stephenson, asked me to help him coach his son’s team and it went from there. I started coaching my brother’s teams and slowly worked my way to high school. Later on, when I was teaching in Sterling, a good friend and former girl’s basketball coach, Arlo Wusk, thought I should take his job when he retired. It turned out to be a great choice.

3. What would you have become professionally if not a teacher/coach? What appealed to you about that profession?

I was fortunate to have done something professionally before I taught and coached. I worked for Aero Fence Company for 15 years. So if my body would hold up I would definitely work construction again. It was a great learning experience and I would not trade that time for anything.

4. Tell us about the most memorable game ever played by a team you coached. Who was it against, what was at stake and why is it your favorite?

Although there have been so many great moments at both Sterling and Waverly with the girls’ teams, the one that comes to mind happened in youth sports back in the early 1990s.

I had a group of boys that was down nine points with about nine seconds left. A young man grabbed a steal and made a layup and I called timeout. So, the clock now said seven seconds and we were down seven points. At that point the older lady at the scorer’s table started yelling at me to have our team give up - I just said, ma’am, I am just giving the boys a chance.

So, the other team throws the ball in and we steal the inbound pass for a bucket and hand the ball right back to the young man out of bounce. He gets nervous and throws it in; we steal it at the three point line and shoot - no bucket but he gets fouled. So we are down five points and shooting free throws...swish, down 4; swish, down 3.

From there we had a special play and threw it off the side rim/backboard. Our shooting guard runs to the spot, grabs it and shoots. He gets tackled into the chairs and...swish! Tie game! The best two parts were it was an obvious foul but neither I nor my player’s parents said a word to the refs.

The lady at the scorer’s table says to me, “I take back everything I said, that was cool.”

Those moments bring you back.

5. What do you view as the biggest change(s) in the high school game over the course of your career?

Mine is remembering all the fun moments that I have had with my athletes. Luckily I get to see them once in a while and we can chat and remember all the great times. The game has changed over time but that is also a challenge, keeping your kids on the cutting edge of what is working in your sport.

6. If you were starting your team from scratch what position would you want to fill first? Why?

Point guard. If you can’t get the ball up the floor, well it is not much fun. They are like the QBs of football.

7. Please name three things which you consider vital to the long-term health and success of your program. Why do you name those three?

A. Care about your athletes on a personal level. I once wrote a paper in the 1990s (yes I am that old). I took some data on athletes and their coaches. The number one thing they wanted was to know that their coaches cared about them. The old saying is certainly true, “they don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

B. Fundamentals of the game. You can never review and drill the basics too often.

C. Family and balance. Remember this is just a game and life is just to short to forget that fact.

8. Beyond the game, what is your favorite part of the week’s preparation? Why do you say that?

The chess match between coaches. There are so many great coaches in our sport and I mean at every level. Until you have seen a Class D coach prepare for a game, well, you cannot overestimate the amount of work they put into it. I like trying to figure out how they are going to use their talents and how are we going to slow their talents down.

I say all this because sometimes these coaches don’t get enough credit for their team preparation, practice work and scouting. I coach summer club stuff and I do that to relax. Nobody knows what you run or your talents on your team. So you can just coach and enjoy the game. But during the year, those darn coaches know so much about your team that you have to get multiple fast. It is all just so much fun.