It’s never easy when change happens to a program. It’s even more difficult when it happens right before the start of a season.
But that’s where the Cleveland Hill girls basketball team was at the start of the 2019-2020 season. Now former coach Darci Secor stepped down right before the start of the year, leading to a void at the top of the program.
That void was ultimately filled on an interim basis by Glen Graham, who came aboard to help a group looking for direction.
“They ran into a problem late when practices started, and their coach wasn’t able to complete the season,” Graham said of his decision to take the job. “My kids are gone; my nest is empty. I talked to my wife so it was a no-brainer to me. These are good girls, and hopefully I’ll help them continue to progress.”
Graham, who also coaches track and football for the school, is no stranger to the girls basketball program having coached in the early 2000s up until 2006. His experience and familiarity with the players made the transition easier for the team.
“A lot of us are used to him around school,” senior captain Marisa Brown said. “We’ve had him as a teacher or a coach for other sports so it’s different.”
Brown added that getting used to his coaching style compared to Secor’s took a little bit of time, but they quickly got the feeling that his sole goal was to make them better as both players and people.
“He’s just a really good coach,” Brown said. “[He’s helped us understand] if we get down on each other, it’s not going to do us any good or get us to our goal of doing good and playing awesome the rest of the season.”
Fellow team captain Libby LaCourse believes that Graham’s desire to help the team work together as a unit is what will lead to growth on the court.
“We just started working together, and learning more about each other,” LaCourse said. “It’s what he’s helped with.”
The Eagles haven’t had the best success on the scoreboard, sitting at 0-10 to start the year. In spite of the record, Graham has seen the girls improve on the court as each day has passed.
“We’re making good progress,” he said. “They can see the improvement. As long as they see the improvement and see themselves going forward, I think they’ll be encouraged to come in.”
And though the results haven’t been great to start the year, you wouldn’t be able to tell they’ve struggled when watching practice. The team enters the gym with a positive attitude and a belief that they’re getting better each day. They encourage each other throughout every drill, give and take advice from teammates and coaches, and ask the questions necessary to get better. It’s a mindset that Graham has preached from day one, and the players have taken notice.
“He’s just a very positive person,” Brown said of Graham. “It helps a lot. Sometimes, you can joke around and he’ll joke around with us, but then he’ll be really serious and it’s always good to have because then it’s not always so tense and boring at practice or a practice you dread coming to. I like coming to practice because he’s there to uplift everybody else.”
“Knowing the kind of person he is, it’s just awesome,” LaCourse said. “Knowing that he’s willing to take this job and help us means a lot.”
To hear that type of praise for a team he’s only been with for a few months, Graham couldn’t help but be appreciative.
“It’s kind of like I was coming in to a pretty good family group, and I’ll foster for a while until they find a permanent solution,” he said with a smile. “I’m having fun. In the meantime, if I can help these girls grow, that’s all that matters to me.”
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