Hinsdale South had a plan in place.
Steve Cochran was going to enter his second season as girls basketball head coach while John Constable was all set to begin his first year as sophomore head coach.
But after Cochran decided to resign nearly a month ago, Constable was upgraded from one level to the next when he accepted the interim varsity head coach position.
Constable had been a varsity boys basketball assistant at York for seven seasons — the same place Cochran coached girls basketball for a number of years.
“Steve (Cochran) and I knew each other from coaching at York,” said Constable, who still teaches at the Elmhurst community high school and was a varsity assistant boy’s basketball coach at Addison Trail a season ago. “When I heard he had a vacancy, we sat down and talked and decided I would work with the sophomore team during the summer. The girls were great and really seemed to want to learn and work hard. When Steve stepped down there was only a few weeks before the start of the season. (Athletic director) Tim Feigh thought it would be good to keep the job internally so that the girls were familiar with whomever they hired as the new head coach. It was a rather speedy process, but thankfully they felt I was qualified enough and offered me this opportunity.”
Constable inherits a group that will likely to be led by center Uzo Okoro. In 2008-09, the sophomore was a Suburban Life All-Area honorable mention selection as well as an all-West Suburban Gold selection. However, Constable believes this group is more than a one-girl show.
“The biggest strength of our team is our depth,” he said. “I think we could start any variety of combinations and bring several girls off the bench that won’t miss a beat. We are young, but we certainly have some skilled players and some athletes that should mesh well together.”
Which is something that Constable hopes will carry over on the defensive end of the floor.
“Our defense has to get better,” he said. “Many bad habits have formed defensively, and with girls from all levels playing, they need to focus on team defense rather than ‘I’ve got her’ mentality. If we can get better defensively, that will be the key for us.”
With that being said, Constable has been pleased with his team’s approach so far.
“Each day our team grows a little bit more confident. We are not the same team that struggled during the summer. The girls have made the commitment to working hard and getting better every day in practice. Confidence is a state of mind, and as long as we keep seeing improvements, I think our confidence will be just fine.”
AT A GLANCE
Conference West Suburban Gold
Home court 7401 Clarendon Hills Rd., Darien
2008-09 record 10-21 (6-6 WSG)
Coach John Constable
Top returners
Uzo Okoro so. C
Andrea McNally so. G
Jackie Belmonte jr. G
Angel Selmon sr. G
Natalie Tomerlin so. F/G
Promising newcomers
Toni Romiti fr. G
Kerry Just fr. F
KEY GAMES
Nov. 20-28 Hornet Invite Hinsdale South hosts its own Thanksgiving tournament this season
Dec. 26-30 Minuteman Holiday Classic Hornets will compete in this on-the-rise tournament at Morton College
