SPORTS WRAP
“I’ve always wanted to be a head coach.” Pat Webb has coached basketball for years, the last nine being in Owatonna, most recently as the junior varsity boys’ coach. He now branches off in a new direction as the Huskies’ girls’ head coach, and said he is “super excited for the opportunity.”
Working under Huskies’ boys’ coach Josh Williams re-enforced that desire. “It was a great experience. Learning from him and being around him made me want it even more. It’s just something I’ve always wanted.”
Williams figured this day would come. “I am very excited for Coach Webb. I had a feeling this was coming at some point. I knew he wanted to pursue a head coaching job and to lead his own program. This was a great opportunity for him and his family. We’re very proud of Pat and excited to see what he can do for the girls’ basketball program here in Owatonna.”
OHS Activities Director Marc Achterkirch said in a news release, “We are very happy to have coach Webb taking the role as our new head girls’ varsity basketball coach… Pat brings a wealth of basketball experience and knowledge, as well as understanding the rich traditions of Owatonna basketball.”
Webb graduated from Central Michigan University and moved southwest for a few years. “I really started to learn a lot under Doug Beilfuss out in Arizona. Doug was awesome. He was a great basketball mind. I’m just very fortunate to have worked under some of the coaches that I have. They’ve taught me a ton on and off the court.”
The move to Minnesota
He met his wife while in Arizona. She’s from Minnesota, thus bringing the move back up north. Webb has experience as a girls’ coach, leading the B-squad program at North St. Paul for a season. “There’s not a lot of differences. At the end of the day, it’s still basketball.”
He’s familiar with many of the girls from being a middle school physical education teacher in Owatonna since 2014. “I’ve had a lot of them come through. I’ve either had them in class or gotten to know them through the school. So, I know a good amount of them.”
Webb says his first steps include assembling a staff and setting up an off-season schedule for the girls. “We’re working around the clock on that right now. I’m excited to get going. Excited to guide the program. I just can’t wait to establish the identity and the culture that I want to instill in our program.”
Third time another charm
Webb becomes the third assistant off Williams’ staff to accept a head coaching position, joining Todd Dufault (Waseca/Chisago Lakes/North Branch) and Rhett McDonald (Duluth East).
Williams also has to say “so long” to Greg Sullivan who is stepping down after more than 30 years coaching, most recently as the B-squad head coach. “Greg and I have been good friends for over 25 years. We played men's basketball on the same team together, coached his kids, and have been coaching colleagues for many years. I understand his decision as he has been doing this a long time and as he put it... ’wants to let someone younger take the reins.’” Williams believes Sullivan will still be involved in some capacity in the program.
Medford’s Bock commits
Andrea Bock is excited for the challenge and freedom of the next step in her education and sports career. She committed to play basketball for Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. “I love the small campus, the basketball coach, the staff and the team. When I went down there, they were amazing. It feels like home. I’m looking forward to the freedom to do what I want, but also have something to keep me tied down.”
Medford coach Mark Kubat says Bock took on a leadership role for a young team this past winter. “Between her and Grace Keller, we were really proud of them. We knew that the conference was going to be loaded this year. And we knew we had a bunch of young players, and they came along very well. Our two seniors were very patient. Andrea did a great job of knowing what her role was and being our leading scorer and just playing very well for us all season.”
He expects her to adapt to the college game just fine. “She’s smart as a whip. She understands the game very well, she’s competitive and shoots the ball very well. Her competitive nature is going to carry her through.” Bock led Medford with 11.5 points per game last season and is sixth on the school’s all-time scoring list.
Bock loved playing high school sports. “Just the team and making friends, and just having fun. It was something to do after school and look forward to. It gets your mind off school, school, school.” She also played volleyball for the Tigers.
Transition to college
She knows she’ll have to adjust in college. “The speed of the game is definitely going to be quicker, but I think I’m ready to take on that challenge and I’m super excited for that. I did play AAU for a few summers, and that game is a lot faster than even we play here at our high school.” She plans to study finance or business.
Kubat believes Bock will fit into a good role. “She’ll be with a lot of top players. She was our scorer, and everybody knew it. And now I’m sure there will be others that will be working with her team. So, she’ll probably have a little bit more of a defined role than ‘everything.’ She helped bring the ball up the court all the time. Defensively. Rebounding. Shooting.”
Last week’s signing and photo opportunity left Bock with a permanent smile as she posed with family, her teammates, and the basketball coaching staff. Her sister Amanda, currently a sophomore, will be a captain for Medford next season.
Pauly to play in college
Blooming Prairie senior Anna Pauly sat down with Todd Walkingstick on ‘Beyond the Game’ recently and spoke of her signing day to play college basketball at Dakota State University (DSU) in Madison, South Dakota. “It was kind of nerve-racking, but I was really excited.” She played a lot of AAU basketball last summer. “At every tournament, there was a boatload of college coaches and then they just reached out.”
“I’m pretty excited for the new beginnings,” she said, “but also a bit sad to move 3.5 hours away from home. A teammate from her summer team is also going to DSU. A natural right-hander, Pauly said she’s worked to develop the ability to finish with her left hand as well. She plans to major in exercise science.
Pauly said a great memory from her prep career is the games against highly ranked Hayfield over the last couple of seasons. “Everybody was just playing together, and it was just a really good game every time.”
Young Life Cake Auction
I am not an auctioneer, despite playing one on the radio for years. It’s an honor to be asked to help with the Steele County Young Life Cake Auction. The format has evolved into an online auction over the last few years. I enjoyed working with Young Life board members Jane Elsner and Matt Zurbriggen for the cake descriptions on Owatonna Live last Saturday.
Bidders chose from a wide variety of goods and services provided by local businesses, in addition to special experiences from sporting events to concerts and vacation stays. And then there were the cake creations that provoked the question, “Is that a cake?” Congratulations to People’s Choice award winners Cheryl Ginnetti (adult division) with her cow cake and her niece Molly Thamert (teen category) and her camping-themed cake.
Special thanks to Young Life director Lindsay Thompson for the opportunity to be part of such a special day and fellow auctioneer-trainee, John Connor.
Still hockey season
A trio of OHS girls’ hockey players extended their season by qualifying for the Minnesota Hockey High-Performance Spring Festival in Blaine last weekend. Kendra Bogen’s team went 1-1-1. Genna Froman and Grace Mitchell played on a team that won four of their five games.
Owatonna Live play-by-play schedule
Thursday, April 27
OHS baseball vs. Mankato West, 5 p.m.
OHS girls’ lacrosse vs. Northfield, 7:15 p.m.
Monday, May 1
Medford baseball vs. JWP, 5 p.m.
OHS boys’ lacrosse vs. Century, 7:30 p.m.