Argos girls basketball preview: ‘Learn basketball and have some fun:’ After 13 years away, Medich returns to coaching

Val T.
1 day ago
4 min read

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Nick Medich’s first stint as Argos girls basketball coach ended in 2012 when he was named the school’s principal.

Thirteen years later, he is still the principal and once again the girls basketball coach. He replaces Brian Jennings and is the third Lady Dragon coach in three seasons. He is the program’s fourth coach since Gary Teel retired in 2018.

“I wanted to get back into coaching,” Medich said. “I missed the previous coaching experience coaching with the girls, and there was an opportunity to do it again, so I did.”

The school board did not approve Medich’s hiring until June 16. His coaching staff will include Jon Arndt, Karlee (VanDerWeele) Martin and Emily LaFree.

Arndt is a math teacher who, like Medich, has not coached basketball at any level in 13 years. They will try and turn around a team that went 7-16 last season. Argos lost to Triton in the sectional quarterfinals after beating Triton twice during the regular season.

Morgyn Barcus and Alydiah Leed, the team’s most experienced ballhandlers, graduated.

Because he was hired in mid-June, he only got to work with the players for two weeks, and he said only four girls showed up in June.

As a result, Medich said he didn’t familiarize himself with his players until the start of practice Oct. 20.

“We’re behind the eight ball,” Medich admitted. “We’re behind. We haven’t done anything besides practice. We started Day 1 when we were allowed to. That’s the only time we’ve been together really as a team.”

Without Barcus and Leed, look for senior Ellie Bollenbacher to show off more of a face-up game and less of a back-to-the-basket game, according to Medich.

“I think she’s wiser,” Medich said of Bollenbacher. “We looked at some game film from last year, and we’ve discussed the way she scored her points versus the way she might have struggled. This year, I’m expecting her to have a lot of driving to the basket … more than she’s ever done. I want the ball in her hands and driving to the basket. I don’t think she’s going to play with her back to the basket this year.”

In fact, Medich wants every girl in the program to expand on their ballhandling and, for that matter, their entire skill set

“We have 12 girls on the basketball team, and I’m expecting all 12 girls to be able to dribble the basketball,” Medich said. “Every girl is going to have the opportunity to shoot, to pass or to drive. All of them. They get a steal – they’re dribbling down the floor. They get a rebound – they’re dribbling down the floor. Everyone is. I think that’s the only way right now that I think I’m going to be able to give the girls opportunities to get more experience and to help build a program is to get everyone involved in the same thing, if that makes sense.”

Lexi Gibson, Grace Thomas and Alysa Bowering are the other seniors in the program.

Gibson saw time on the wing last year but can also play guard.

“Her role, I think, is to be positive and encourage everybody to improve every day and to encourage everyone and make them realize it’s going to be frustrating at times because everything’s new to them for the most part,” Medich said. “But I think she would like to see the program grow, and I think she will help create that mentality that we’re here to grow this program and have fun doing it.”

Thomas is recovering from a knee injury that ended her junior year before it started, and Medich said she will get occasional rest breaks for her leg. Medich also said that Thomas can shoot 3s.

Juniors include Leah Pizzuto, Makenzie Smith, Kinzlee Kelly, Haley Shafer and Ava VanDerWeele.

Medich turned a question about Pizzuto specifically into a treatise on the mindset he wants from all his players.

“If she’s open, she’s to shoot it,” Medich said. “Plain and simple. If she’s open, shoot it. If she can drive to the basket, drive. If she drives and can kick it, kick it. She can create whatever she wants. So can Bollenbacher. So can the other 10 girls.

“This is going to be one of those years I’m seriously trying to get the girls to just learn basketball and have some fun. Like, I don't want to tell them what they’re supposed to do every trip down the floor. I want them to create something on their own and have some fun. I am not going to be upset, and we have hammered this hard during the practices: I am not going to be upset with any physical mistakes they make. What I want them to do is try and have some confidence. That’s all I’m looking for. I don’t care if we get beat by 30, 40, 50 points. If my girls are showing me that we’re trying hard and they’re using their brains and they’re learning basketball and they’re having fun with basketball, we’re going to go somewhere. We’re going to do things later. But right now, it’s just a matter of having the confidence to go do it and try it.”

Argos girls basketball schedule

Nov. 4 – vs. Bremen, 6:30 p.m.

Nov. 6 – at Jimtown, 6:30 p.m.

Nov. 8 – at Culver Academy, 6:30 p.m.

Nov. 11 – at Triton, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 15 – vs. Elkhart Christian, 6:30 p.m.

Nov. 18 – vs. Caston, 6:30 p.m.

Nov. 20 – at Trinity Greenlawn, 7 p.m.

Nov. 25 – vs. Culver, 6:30 p.m.

Nov. 29 – vs. Bethany Christian, 3:30 p.m.

Dec. 4 – at North Judson, 8 p.m.

Dec. 6 – vs. West Central, 7:30 p.m.