JWCC women’s basketball coach resigns to pursue full-time coaching opportunity

QUINCY — Lauren Bogle openly talked about how coaching the John Wood Community College women’s basketball team enabled her to grow both in her ability to draw up Xs and Os and the organization of a program.

So what was the most important thing she learned in two seasons at the helm?

“Besides everything?” she quipped.

Bogle did pinpoint one very important aspect where she felt she improved.

“I think it’s just the new way of coaching this generation,” Bogle said. “It’s different. It’s about finding the right girls. I’ve been able to find the right ones who love the game and want to grow the game and play hard. I’ve learned how to find those players and how to coach them to their best potential to continue to advance the game and advance their game.”

With limited numbers and limited resources, she did that. The Trail Blazers went 17-13 overall and 9-5 in the Mid-West Athletic Conference last winter, which turned out to be Bogle’s last. She recently resigned to pursue other coaching opportunities.

“I want to coach and I want to do that full-time,” said Bogle, who put together a 26-32 in two seasons at JWCC despite playing with a roster of less than 10 players both years. “I want to continue to grow the game on the women’s side as well as grow my own coaching career. I think this is the perfect time to do it.”

Bogle is in the process of trying to find an assistant coaching position where she can put her skills as a recruiter to good use while learning more about coaching.

“(Former JWCC men’s basketball coach Brad) Hoyt has been a huge influence on me and been my mentor,” Bogle said. “It’s time to go learn under someone new now, and that means finding another spot.”

Hoyt resigned as coach and JWCC’s athletic director two weeks ago to become the head men’s basketball coach at Quincy University.

The JWCC administration announced Adam Hightower, currently the Trail Blazers’ baseball coach, will handle the day-to-day business operations of the athletic department. The JWCC human resources department is conducting the searches for the athletic director and both basketball coaches.