Former assistant coach returns to JWCC to take over women’s basketball program

QUINCY — John Wood Community College athletic director Brad Hoyt’s short list of candidates to consider for the women’s basketball coaching position didn’t change because of the relatively short timeframe in which he had to conduct his search.

Lauren Bogle’s name was always there.

“Her energy and her commitment while she was here has resonated with me,” said Hoyt, who became familiar with Bogle during her two seasons as an assistant coach with the JWCC women’s program. “She has a high energy level. She connected with the girls, and the girls wanted to be in the gym with her.”

So after Norm Rodriguez retired July 13 after 23 seasons at the helm, one of Hoyt’s first calls went to Bogle, who had completed her first season as the head coach at Lamar Community College, an NJCAA Division I program in Lamar, Colo.

“I felt so honored,” said Bogle, who coached alongside Rodriguez during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. “In the back of my mind, I always thought if this spot comes up I hope he would consider me. I just didn’t bank on it. For him to do that, it was like, ‘Wow, I feel very special.’ I’m just honored I was even considered, let alone hired.”

What Hoyt saw on the court from Bogle translated to the interview process and made her an easy choice to take over the Trail Blazers’ program. 

He officially named her the head coach Wednesday, introducing her to the players during a Zoom call and jumpstarting the process of getting her moved to Quincy before the school year begins.

“In this profession, your paths cross in relatively short stints with a lot of people,” Hoyt said. “Sometimes they resonate with you, and quite frankly, sometimes they don’t. Again, she resonated with me. She wants to be in the gym. She wants to develop kids.

“I’m super excited for our kids. I’m super excited for our department. I think the Quincy community and the Quincy area will enjoy getting to know her.”

Hoyt’s leadership and commitment to JWCC helped Bogle see this was the right move as much as anything else.

“When I was there, I felt he was a great supporter of every sport,” Bogle said. “I knew that no matter what he was going to be a big help. While I was there, I went to his office a lot, asking about coaching stuff, asking about life stuff, asking about anything.

“Because of his character and everything about him, he’s someone I want to be working with again. He’s someone I want to shadow and use his examples on the court and off the court and blend them into my own coaching style.”

Their coaching relationship carried over after Bogle left JWCC to go to Lamar.

“She and I talked multiple times during her first year as a head coach,” Hoyt said. “I tried to help her as much as I could. So when this came open, I thought she made a lot of sense. She went through the interview process and did it the right way.

“She has a very good perspective that fits the program and the college. I just think it lined up. Our paths had crossed before, and I was impressed in that relatively small window.”

A native of Brocton, Ill., Bogle was the Champaign News-Gazette’s All-Area Player of the Year in 2011 after leading Hume-Shiloh to third place in the Class 1A state tournament. She played two years at Lake Land College, earning NJCAA All-American honors before playing her final two years at the University of South Carolina-Upstate.

The opportunity to return to a region she knows well is enticing, as is the amount of high school talent in this area.

“Hopefully we can bring some talented kids and some good character kids and continue that tradition,” Bogle said.