By BEAU WICKER
Pharos-Tribune
LOGANSPORT — Jeff Wagner has had a first-hand look at the success of the girls basketball program that Jim Swaney built at Winamac.
Wagner has been an assistant under Swaney the past seven seasons, and in that time the Warriors have gone 125-36 (.776), winning six Midwest Conference titles, three sectional titles and last year’s regional championship.
“It’s big shoes to fill, obviously,” Wagner said. “But I just feel like I’ve learned enough from him to step in and it’ll be an easy transition for the girls to step up and play like they’ve been playing and continue things on the way they’ve been going.”
Wagner was Swaney’s first choice to replace him when Swaney announced during last season that he was retiring after a 24 years at the helm.
“He made mention of that a couple times after our sectional win,” Wagner said. “We talked about it a number of times but we both thought I’d be a long shot to get it.”
They thought Wagner was a long shot for the job because he’s not a teacher and works at T and T Farms in Winamac. Wagner said the state’s budget cuts in education probably led to him getting the head coaching job.
“With the teaching situation as it is now, most schools do not want to fill a position with a tenured teacher,” he said.
Wagner has been in place since the summer began.
“We’ve been working and went to some shootouts and the D-I camp,” he said.
Wagner likes what the Warriors have returning this winter, which includes three returning starters in Allie DeFries, Ellie Kiser and Sarah Redweik. However the Warriors lost two starters to graduation in Whitney Schmicker and Saint Xavier-bound Jordan Brandt.
“Obviously Jordan Brandt will be big shoes to fill as far as her handling the ball so well,” Wagner said. “Probably the biggest thing for us will be to make up for her ball-handling and she scored quite a few points too and had a lot of assists. It’ll be tough to fill in for her. But we have quite a bit back with three starters and others as well, so we’ll be OK.”
Last season the Warriors were state semifinalists for the first time in their successful history.
“It was quite a ride,” Wagner said. “It surprised most people. We started playing pretty well. I thought Schmicker’s play was the biggest key. She played a lot better in the tournament.
“It was a lot of fun. It was really surreal.”
Wagner’s son Steven will be a senior at Winamac and plays basketball, and his daughter Alyssa is entering the sixth grade and also plays basketball.
Wagner hopes to keep the excitement for the program high as the Warriors routinely draw big crowds, especially during their tournament runs.
“There’s quite a bit of tradition and that would be part that can weigh on your shoulders a bit,” he said. “But I think I’ve learned enough from [Swaney].”
