The long bus rides won’t be a problem for Duane Hodges any more.
After coaching at Shoreline Christian High School for eight years and enduring away trips that were at a minimum of 56 miles away, Hodges stepped down as girls basketball coach earlier this year.
Hodges wasn’t away from the game long, however, as he has been named head coach for Edmonds-Woodway’s girls team.
“The Wesco South league is a little more compact,” Hodges said.
The Warriors are getting a coach who is passionate about the game and who likes to teach the game to his players, Hodges said.
They’re also getting someone with plenty of experience. Hodges was head coach for the Crusaders for one year. He previously was an assistant coach for both the boys and girls teams. He also coached at Snohomish County Christian School, which is now known as North Sound Christian School, and at King’s High School.
“I guess they appreciated the experience,” Hodges said of the hiring committee.
During the second set of interviews, Hodges was asked to teach an aspect of offense or defense.
“I love doing stuff like that,” he said. “If you’re a good coach, you have to be a good teacher.”
Hodges describes himself as a defensive coach. He doesn’t focus on one particular defensive scheme.
“I’m comfortable coaching zones, man-to-man or a combination,” Hodges said.
On offense, Hodges tries not to over-coach his players.
“So many girls, particularly the Edmonds-Woodway team, play so much basketball that to have a real structured offense actually inhibits their abilities,” Hodges said.
Hodges already is getting to know his players. He coached his first summer league game last week. Though Edmonds-Woodway graduated some of its top players, including Jennifer Singh and Abby Butler, the Warriors return a solid nucleus. Key players back are sophomore Ashley Albertson, sophomore Sydney Donaldson, freshman Madeline Casper, sophomore Angela Woods and sophomore Alex Kinney. Woods played at Shoreline Christian before transferring to Edmonds-Woodway last year.
“They had a real nice season last year,” Hodges said. “There’s some talent there.”
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