Coaches Corner: VW’s Phlipot, Laudick

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

Coaches Corner is back for the 2019-2020 winter sports season and this week’s column features two first year varsity basketball coaches, both at Van Wert High School.

Hannah Phlipot now leads the Lady Cougars, while Ben Laudick has taken over the Cougar hoops program.

Hannah Phlipot

The Lady Cougars (2-8, 1-2 WBL) are coming off a 49-47 loss to Delphos Jefferson on Saturday and while wins have been hard to come by so far, Phlipot likes what she sees from her team, especially on the offensive end.

“A weakness of ours at the beginning of the season was simply scoring,” Phlipot explained. “We were getting girls in the right spots and getting open looks, but we were not able to knock them down.  We have seen an improvement in this area but it is still a point of emphasis.”

“Our girls understand this and are putting in the work to improve, Phlipot added. “We have girls in the gym at 6:15 a.m. shooting at least two or three times a week.”

Freshman Kyra Welch leads the team in scoring, averaging 8.2 points per game, while classmate Sofia Houg and junior Jaylyn Rickard each average 5.8 points per game. Senior Jamison Clouse averages a team high 5.5 rebounds per game, while Welch pulls down nearly five boards per contest. 

As the season continues, Phlipot noted she’s seen her squad grow closer on the court and away from basketball.

“Team chemistry isn’t something that just happens,” Phlipot said. “It takes effort from athletes and coaches to make it happen. We as coaches have been pushing the idea of not just playing ‘with’ each other, but playing ‘for’ each other. The girls have truly taken to this mantra and we are starting to see it play out on and off the court.”

Phlipot also lauded the effort of senior guard Caylee Phillips, who brings plenty of varsity experience to the court, along with a State mentality from cross country and track.

“Caylee has really emerged into a positive leader for our group,” Phlipot stated. “She has always led by her actions and effort on the court, but she is beginning to become a more vocal leader, which has been really exciting to watch.”

Van Wert returns to Western Buckeye League action at St. Marys Memorial on Thursday and home non-conference game against county rival Lincolnview on Saturday. 

“St. Marys and Lincolnview are both going to be tough match ups for us,” Phlipot said. “St. Marys is a very solid WBL team that has had success early this season and Lincolnview is always a good game because it is a county rival. I suspect both will be very exciting games to watch.”

Ben Laudick

The Cougars (2-6, 1-1 WBL) last played on December 28 against state ranked Columbus Grove.

“As we head into our game this Friday against St. Marys it will have been 13 days since we last played a game, so in that time we have allowed our guys to have an extra day or two of rest for a long month of January,” Laudick said. “During this break we have focused a lot on ourselves. We have worked on getting a lot of shots up and working on some things we need to get better at on each end of the floor.”

“When the season started I was not looking forward to this long break between games because you get into a routine but I think it has come at a great time for us to evaluate some things and make some changes for the next stretch of the season,” Laudick continued. “The rest of the month is going to go quickly because we will play eight games between January 10 and January 31.”

Junior guard Owen Treece leads the Cougars with 23 points per game and while he’s been the focal point of the team, Laudick said he thinks other players are gaining confidence on the court.

“I think Nate Jackson had a really good weekend last time we played against Ottoville and Columbus Grove and I look forward to him carrying that play into our next games,” Laudick said. “Jake Hilleary, Keaton Brown, and Clayton Proffitt are starting to knock down some shots and Parker Conrad and Colin Place’s size and toughness has helped us a lot defensively.”

Hilleary averages 6.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, while Brown and Proffit each average nearly six points per game. 

The coach added that he’d like to see some improvement on the defensive end, including limiting offensive rebounds and transition buckets.

“I honestly feel we have not played our best basketball, we have had some stand out performances individually but as a team we still have not put the whole thing together which is exciting and for our guys I hope it happens soon because they have put in a lot of work and deserve to be rewarded,” Laudick said.  

Van Wert will play at home twice this weekend, against St. Marys Memorial on Friday and Marion Local on Saturday.

“St. Marys’ frontcourt is huge with two post players at 6-6 and 6-8 so that will pose some problems for us defensively,” Laudick said of the Roughriders. “They have good guard play and they can hurt you from the outside because of their post players attracting so much attention. They are really sound defensively and limit your second chance opportunities because of their advantage rebounding the basketball.”

“Marion Local obviously had a late start to the season because of their success in football but what I know is they will be fundamentally sound, strong, and physical,” Laudick added. “I know our guys are ready to get back to playing and look forward to the challenge of playing both teams this weekend.”