Sports

Parents Welcome New Woodbury Girls Basketball Coach

Lionel Jones will take over for longtime coach Dave Preller next year.

During a meet and greet Thursday with Lionel Jones, the new girls basketball coach at , one parent asked if there was any truth to the rumor that a 6-foot-8 transfer was coming with him.

The line drew laughs from the 20 or so parents who attended, and Jones smiled and said, “I’d welcome her with open arms.”

Judging by the response of parents last week, they will welcome Jones the same way.

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Jones, 38, will take over the girls basketball program next year following the , who built Woodbury into one of the area’s strongest programs. 

Jones comes to Woodbury from a high school in Menomonie, Wis., that he admitted was “pretty bad” when he first arrived there in 2008. In subsequent years, he turned the program around: the school’s girls basketball team was ranked third in the state in 2009-10.

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A star athlete on the court at his Ohio high school, Jones was also an assistant coach for six years with the men’s basketball program at the University of Wisconsin-Stout and went to the Division III Sweet Sixteen with that team in 2004-05.

Jones—who outlined his coaching philosophy and overall strategy (bottom line: up-tempo) during the May 5 meeting—said he has spoken with since accepting the job.

“He knew of me from my time in Wisconsin and said that he likes my style of play,” Jones said. “He told me to be myself.”

He added later: “We’re going to uphold the tradition here."

Amy Hunter, whose daughter Mikaela Hunter will be a junior forward on the team next year, said she was excited to meet Jones and thinks he will fit in well here.

“I was impressed,” she said. “I think Woodbury is ready for his style of hoops.”

Tom White, parent of guard Kristina White, said Jones seems very organized and energetic, which should carry over well to the fast style of play he plans to employ at Woodbury. He also lauded Jones for his suggestion that the girls play together in some form this summer.

“That’s going to be fun,” White said, adding that he hasn’t heard any negatives about Jones taking over from such a well-respected coach in Preller.

“All upside,” he said.

Tom Anderson's daughter Kelsey Anderson will be a senior on the team next year. He said Kelsey was “almost giddy” about having Jones come on board at Woodbury.

“If he has half the success he’s had at other schools, we’ve got a great coach,” Anderson said.

Woodbury athletic director Jason Schultz said Jones brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to the game.

“And on top of that, he wins,” Schultz said.

While addressing the parents, Jones said he understands that there may be a transition period as he implements his system at Woodbury. There are talks for him to work at the high school in some capacity but nothing has been finalized, he said. He’s currently working as an associate administrator at UW-Stout.

Jones said he’s big on film work and mental preparation, and plans to send home regular worksheets with the players. He looks at the basketball program as “an extension of the classroom” and hopes to develop the girls’ leadership skills.

What really came through during his discussion with the parents Thursday was his commitment to the job.

“I promise you, I will not let you down,” he said.


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