TERRE HAUTE —
Surrounding yourself with excellence.
Some high school basketball head coaches might be intimidated or insecure having talented assistants on their staff. That is certainly not the case for Terre Haute North’s Todd Woelfle.
Woelfle has the vast resources of four — count ‘em — former NCAA Division I college players on his staff this season.
Former Indiana State University standouts Michael Menser and Matt Renn are reunited as varsity assistant coaches.
Coaching newcomers are former North, Gardner-Webb and University of Indianapolis player Nate Blank and former ISU player Aaron Carter. Blank is the junior varsity coach, while Carter is a volunteer assistant.
Menser and Renn, both 32, played together at ISU from 1997-98 to 2000-01, their careers concluding with a pair of NCAA tournament appearances. Renn scored 1,347 points in his career, Menser close behind at 1,301 points.
Carter and Blank, both 23, played collegiately from 2007-08 to 2010-11. Carter played for the Sycamores in the NCAA tournament last season. Blank enjoyed high-scoring outings in road wins over big-time programs Kentucky and UConn while at Gardner-Webb.
Oh yes, Woelfle was no slouch as a Division II college player himself. All he did was lead the country in 3-point percentage (53.7 percent) as a senior at Oakland City University.
“We feel very fortunate these quality people are in our program now,” Woelfle said. “They have excellent basketball knowledge … and they’re all good people. Personally, I feel having them in the building, the [players] are lucky.”
Menser and Renn
Menser has served on Woelfle’s staff the past three years. His two years of prior head coaching experience at Riverton Parke paid huge dividends too when he filled in for the suspended Woelfle the first seven games this season.
Renn is in his second stint as a North assistant, previously working three years with Woelfle on former coach Jim Jones’ staff. He’s returned this year following a three-year hiatus after his first child was born.
“Any job, you want to work with people you like,” Menser noted. “It’s always good to go to practice because we have fun as a coaching staff … and that’s carried over in how the kids have played this year.”
North is 10-2 this season, fresh off its second consecutive Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic championship.
“We all share responsibilities,” Menser continued. “This year, with coach Renn joining the staff, I’ve moved more from the defensive side to the offensive side. Last year I did a lot of the defensive stuff.”
Menser and Renn communicated well on the court at ISU, so it’s not surprising that trait has carried over in their coaching too. “It’s like their old playing days,” Woelfle stated.
“Mike and I have been great friends since we came into Indiana State together,” Renn said. “We roomed together. We’re obviously close. Michael and Todd are probably my closest friends here in town.
“We’re similar on the basketball court, off the court. Probably it’s scary how much alike we are. Our philosophies in life or basketball, they are the same. We were coached in the same way, we know what it takes to put a team together, know what against certain opponents you need to do to be successful.
“When [Menser] says something, it’s like I was thinking the same thing a lot of the time. It makes it nice, because you don’t have those ‘Sure you want to do that?’ moments, feuds. Michael says something, then I trust what he wants to do and I think he feels the same way going the other way.”
Off the court, Menser is a dean of students and Renn is a mathematics teacher, both at North.
Blank and Carter
Renn coached Blank, a former Indiana All-Star, for three years when he was a player at North; now they work side by side.
“Matt was an assistant when I [played], so was Coach Woelfle too,” Blank said. “I saw how they liked to coach and I idolized them as players growing up. The respect for them has even grown after working underneath them to see how they work, work together as a group. It’s how I envisioned coaching basketball.
“We’ve all played in college, which is the goal of our kids,” Blank added. “We’ve been where they want to go. They see how we have to work, how to go about it in a businesslike fashion, but still have fun together. I think we’ve instilled that in our kids and it’s shown so far.”
An exercise science major in college, Blank is a substitute teacher at North this year and plans to pursue a master’s degree. Blank aspires to a career in coaching too, possibly at the college level.
Carter admitted he wasn’t considering a career in coaching. He was pursuing a master’s degree in communications when this opportunity arose.
“It’s been fun so far,” Carter said. “[The players] kind of look up to us because we’ve been college players. I think they can learn a lot from our staff because [the coaches] have a lot of knowledge about the game. It’s made me at least think about coaching in the future.”
Five on the floor
While three of the coaches are a “wee bit” older now, they can still make a point about basketball to their players on the court.
“Our entire staff, it seems we have someone that fits [each position],” Menser reflected. “You see Coach Renn talking to Calvin [Blank] in how to guard in certain positions, Coach Carter does a nice job working with the wings.
“I’ve kind of grabbed hold of [point guard] Nate Jahn and try to implement some of the stuff that I’ve seen from my past experience. He’s taken hold of that and done a great job for us this year. One thing we tell him is that he’s got to be an extension of us on the floor.”
Any time limits on the basketball court?
“Michael stays in great shape, Aaron still plays, … Nate, he’s an old man like me, he tries,” Renn joked. “We’re not in shape like we used to be. But we’ve talked about it. We thought about putting the challenge out there. A 5-on-5 challenge. One thing, we have all the positions covered. Now if we can just make it past the first TV timeout without having to go into cardiac arrest. At least for me, these guys are in great shape.”
“It seems year by year, our playing time goes down minute by minute,” Menser smiled. “But when we start preparing for our bigger opponents, the coaching staff will get in there and play the leading scorer role, or if it’s a post, coach Renn will get in there and play some.
“Coach Carter will probably use that role mostly this year when we get in the [Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference] as far as scorers who we need to shut down. Give our kids a really good look at, obviously, a very good basketball player.”
“Sometimes we have to get out there and play 3-on-3 to show [the players] we can still work ‘em out on the basketball court too,” Blank added.
Renn is enjoying showing the ropes, if you will, to the younger coaches Blank and Carter.
“With Coach Blank and Coach Carter, they’re younger and just getting into [coaching],” Renn said. “Fun sharing things with them. Setting up a team, putting a scout together, our philosophies on this, that or the other, Xs and Os. Talking to those guys about it, they’re like sponges. You can tell they want to learn, they want to be good at this and it’s something they want in their future. So it’s fun for us.”
High School
Related Photos
-
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza They know their Xs and Os: Terre Haute North assistant basketball coaches Nate Blank, Aaron Carter, Matt Renn and Michael Menser bring years of collegiate and high school experience to Coach Todd Woelfle's Patriot squad.
Discussion
Coaches with credentials: As a unit, Terre Haute North’s staff 2nd to none
- High School
-
-
West Vigo baseball falls in sectional to Owen Valley
West Vigo overcame the odds to win 20 high school baseball games this season with a lineup that often included four freshmen and few seniors.
-
South Vermillion softball's late-season surge comes to end
A late-season surge by South Vermillion wasn’t quite enough to halt a high school softball sectional winning streak by the host team Thursday night, as Edgewood got on top early and held on for a 5-2 win in the championship game of the Class 3A Edgewood Sectional.
The loss was just the second in the last 12 games for the Wildcats. The Mustangs, however, haven’t lost a sectional softball game for eight years in a row. -
South takes second, North third at boys track regional
Terre Haute South finished second and Terre Haute North third on Thursday night at the boys track and field regional at Evansville Central, with 11 individuals and three relay teams qualifying for the state finals June 2.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: White River Valley baseball holds off Eminence
Three Eminence errors in the top of the sixth inning finally enabled White River Valley to score in high school baseball Thursday night, and the Wolverines went on to a 5-0 win in Class A Shakamak Sectional action.
-
Feeling cursed: South bitten in sectional final again
Terre Haute South softball is not even close to being as cursed as a certain northside baseball team in Chicago, but it might just seem like it.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: Mundy, Porter, Knight individual regional winners
Chanli Mundy and Keirra Porter of Terre Haute North were among the individual winners in the IHSAA Evansville Central girls track and field regional that ended late Tuesday night.
-
Thornton puts away South Vermillion
Cody Thornton’s three-run blast over the left-field fence was the finishing touch to West Vigo’s 10-3 victory over South Vermillion in the opening game of the Class 3A Greencastle Sectional on Wednesday.
-
Lakers triumph, go home for regional
Shakamak took Class A Clay City Sectional honors in high school softball for the first time since 2009 Wednesday, defeating White River Valley 9-5 in the title tilt.
-
North Vermillion avenges losses
North Vermillion avenged two high school softball losses during the regular season to win the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional championship Wednesday with a 3-2 triumph over the host Panthers.
-
Pats, Knights will meet in sectional
Adler Ingalsbe pooh-poohed his lack of velocity Wednesday night, yet the Terre Haute North pitcher was throwing BBs in the first game compared to Mooresville’s Brandon Topie in the nightcap.
-
South outbattles Northview to reach sectional final
Even the best of high school softball pitchers can’t keep all the batters in the middle of Terre Haute South’s lineup down.
-
Panthers get 20th win in sectional
Riverton Parke will face North Vermillion in the Class A softball sectional championship at Riverton Parke today, with action commencing at 6 p.m.
-
Plainfield Sectional all about parity
Considering Terre Haute South has won five consecutive Class 4A sectional titles in high school baseball, naming the Braves as favorites to capture the 2012 Class 4A Plainfield Sectional would not seem far-fetched.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: North Vermillion in title game
Casey West had a triple and three runs scored to help North Vermillion softball advance to the championship game of the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional on Tuesday.
-
North takes second in track regional
Terre Haute North finished second with 74 points, six behind team champion Evansville Reitz, during the Evansville Central girls track and field regional that ended late Tuesday night.
-
Wildcats advance to sectional softball final; West Vigo falls
Patience, patience.
South Vermillion exhibited great patience, being very selective at the plate and it paid off royally in the fourth inning. -
South, Crawfordsville win in regional tennis semis
Terre Haute South outlasted Fountain Central 4-1 in the first round of the girls high school tennis regional Tuesday, advancing the Braves into today’s championship match against Crawfordsville.
-
Braves, Knights open with wins
It was an excellent night for starting softball pitchers to help their own cause Monday night in the Class 4A Northview Sectional.
-
Lough dreamt about McMillan
A two-time state finalist in wrestling and a two-time all-Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference football player and wrestler, Tsali Lough of Terre Haute South was named the male recipient of the 2012 McMillan Award on Monday night at South’s Senior Awards Night.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: Panthers cruise in sectional opener
Sarah Burnham pitched a two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts in high school softball Monday evening as host Riverton Parke defeated defending champion Rockville 10-0 in opening-round action at the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional.
-
Notable tradition bodes well for Riverton Parke
Located practically in the shadow of a high school that sets one state standard in track and field, Riverton Parke has a tendency to be overlooked in that sport.
-
Vikings get 18th win over Shakamak
West Vigo began a busy week of high school baseball Monday on a winning note, defeating Shakamak 6-3.
-
Greencastle new site for girls tennis regional
The starting times might prove to be a bone of contention, but otherwise coaches Bill Blankenbaker and Emily Goff are thrilled their respective girls high school tennis teams will begin play today at the Greencastle Regional.
-
Northview sectional groups 3 20-win teams
Three teams with 20-plus victories will attempt to claim the Class 4A Northview Sectional crown for high school softball this week, and most of the other Wabash Valley sectional fields also appear to be wide open.
-
Terre Haute South softball takes Riverton Parke tournament
Terre Haute South is going into the Class 4A Sectional at Northview on Monday with momentum, confidence, a deep bench and a healthier pitching staff than it has had in quite a while.
-
North baseball splits doubleheader with Indy North Central
Some of their incentive could have been sapped a couple of nights earlier, when Center Grove achieved an eight-inning victory over Warren Central to clinch the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball championship.
-
Robinson takes regional softball crown
Robinson’s Maroons came from behind in the last two innings Saturday to defeat top-seeded Newton 3-2 and win the Illinois Class 2A Lawrenceville Regional.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: Terre Haute South baseball sweeps, takes second place in MIC
Terre Haute South rallied for a tie in the bottom of the seventh and won the game in the bottom of the eighth in Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball Saturday, coming behind for a 3-2 win over host Lawrence North.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: Baseball, sectional game times announced
Pairings and schedules are set for the Indiana High School Athletic Association tournament.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: Game times set for baseball sectionals
Pairings and schedules are set for the Indiana High School Athletic Association tournament.
- More High School Headlines
-
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Police: Gunman Has Hostages in Realty Office
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Dragon Arrives at Space Station in Historic 1st
Beer Here!: An Historic Exhibit
Raw Video: SpaceX Capsule's Docking Delayed
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
Passenger Restrained on Flight to Miami Arrested
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Sudden Storm Topples Wisconsin Trees
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Raw Video: Toddler Trapped in Washing Machine
Raw Video: Wildfire Burns 110 Square Miles
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
Kristen Stewart Is Red Hot
Shark Attacks Australian Fishing Boat
Bradley out for playoffs
Kayaker Survives Trip Over Washington Waterfall
Alison Brie Likes To Jog Naked
Heidi Klum Goes Sheer
Alton's Best Burger Ever
Ellie Kemper's Stripper Surprise on 'Ellen'
Maddie the Balancing Dog On Cross-Country Trip
Crawford's Sexy Leather Look
Boys eyes 'removed with spoon'
"Twilight" Stars Caught Kissing
Etan Patz Case: Suspect Arrested
Britney's Hot Pink Mini-Dress
Wrongfully accused rapist exonerated after 5 years in jail
Actress to Play Casey Anthony
Hurricane Forecast: 15 Named Storms Expected
Prince William on The Queen: 'Woman in Man's World'
