Reese Takes Over Glenn Program: ‘Means World To Me’
Come the 2023-24 season the John Glenn High School girls basketball program will have a new man in charge, but he is certainly no stranger to Falcon athletics or for that matter the school system.
Earlier this week Ryan Reese was approved by the school board to be the high school’s next girls hoops coach.
Reese, who is a fourth grade teacher at Walkerton Elementary School, was one of former Glenn head coach Ted Hayden’s assistant coaches. Hayden has moved on to Tippecanoe Valley High School.
Reese, a Ball State University graduate, is finishing his 15th year in the John Glenn School Corporation after spending seven years at Oregon-Davis.
He is currently Glenn’s softball head coach and was part of the Falcons’ boys basketball program under Travis Hannah.
For Reese, this opportunity means an awful lot.
“Taking over the girls program at John Glenn means the world to me,” he told MAX 98.3 FM WYMR. “Even after stepping away from the boys program, to make sure I was able to fulfill my duties as a father and husband first, I have always had aspirations of being a part of the Lady Falcons varsity program.
“I have been fortunate to have surrounded myself with great coaches/people over the years and I believe they have helped shape who I am. Having a father and brother who have coached at different levels. Working with Travis and being a part of the boys programs at Oregon-Davis and John Glenn for 15 of my 17 years of experience have been immeasurable. Working with Kyle Amor (Falcons’ girls basketball coach from 2012-19), who was right across the hall from my classroom, and bouncing ideas off of each other throughout the years are the reasons I believe I am blessed to be in the position I am in today.”
Reese takes over a program that advanced to the sectional championship game this past season before losing to Tippecanoe Valley.
Glenn finished 10-15 this past season and was 44-50 in Hayden’s five seasons in Walkerton.
Reese inherits a Glenn program that has not won a sectional since 2001 and has a 40-48 all-time record in the postseason.
Hayden took over for Amor, the Falcons’ winningest girls basketball coach with a 129-59 record in eight season. Now it’s Reese’s turn.
Reese will welcome back a large majority of the roster next season as Glenn graduates only one player – Kennedy Hayden, the team’s leading scorer. However, Kennedy’s younger sister, Lucy, a freshman post player, will be playing for Tippecanoe Valley.
This past season the Falcons endured plenty of injuries to key players so Reese is hopeful players like Emma Norton (knee) and Rylee Johnson (knee) return to full strength.
Key contributors coming back will also be Sophia Romer, Addison Reese (the coach’s daughter), Keelyn Bradley, Daelynn Nance, Dani Devine and Alivia Turnage.
“I am excited to work with this group of girls, they are great girls,” Reese said. “I am very fortunate to have coached many of these girls over the past four or five years and some even longer (since they were second graders). These girls have great character, work hard and will reap the benefits of that throughout life.
“I feel very honored to have this opportunity.”
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