By Reagan Hoverman

The Ellsworth High School boys’ basketball side- line will look diuerent this season, as the school district has hired former University of Wisconsin-River Falls assistant coach Derek Staley as the next head coach of the Panthers.

With the amicable departure of former head coach Jordan Petersen, a slot was opened for Staley, who quickly jumped at the opportunity to interview for the job. Staley instantly becomes one of the most qualified coaches in the Middle Border Conference, as he has worked at the collegiate level for more than half a decade.

Staley’s career has included multiple stops over seven years before joining the Ells- worth Panthers this ousea son. He began his coaching career as the head coach of the women’s basketball program at the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County.

During Staley's first sea son as head coach at Marathon County, his women’s team had a 3-17 record. However, during his second year of installing his system and recruiting players, he led the team to a 17-4 record and earned Conference Coach of the Year honors for that 2015-16 season.

After two years at Marathon County, Staley joined the UWRF women’s basketball program as an assistant coach for the 2017-18 season under long-time head coach Cindy Holbrook. After one year as an assistant, Staley took over the program as the interim head coach of the women’s basketball program after Holbrook’s departure.

Staley spent that lone season as the interim head coach before transitioning to an assistant coaching role under UWRF men’s basketball head coach Jeurey Berkhof. Staley's third and final sea son under Berkhof was the 2021-22 season.

Staley had been thinking about getting back into running a program for a couple of years while still serving as an assistant. He loves living in the Pierce County/western Wisconsin area and wanted to stay close. He spoke about transitioning back into a head coaching role.

“At some point, I wanted to get into running my own program again, probably at the high school level because I like living in this area,” Staley said. “I was looking for a few communities that I would coach at and Ellsworth was one of those communities. I jumped at it when it opened up.”

During his seven years of coaching – both as a head coach and as an assistant – at the college level, Staley gained valuable experience that will help him build the Ellsworth boys’ basketball program.

“I love coaching because every day and every stop is a new experience and you get to learn a lot,” Staley said. “I had to do everything as a junior college coach. I had to do laundry, I had to order things, and it taught me how to be really organized. I learned a ton at Marathon County, it was like drinking out of a fire hose." While he gained organizational and leadership experience at UW-Marathon County as the head coach, Staley stated that his playbook skills and X’s and O’s jumped to the next level when he got to work and learn under two long-time coaches in the aforementioned Holbrook and Berkhof at UWRF.

“At River Falls I learned under Cindy Holbrook. She definitely increased my bas ketball IQ,” Staley said. "It's the same thing with Jeu (Berkhof). He’s an awesome X’s and O’s mind and he treats his players well.”

When Staley was a young coach, particularly at Mar- athon ounty, he was a fi ery leader of the program that yelled quite often. As he gained more experience and got to River Falls, that changed.

"I was a little bit fiery be – fore Jeu (Berkhof). I never got thrown out of a game or anything, but I would yell,” Staley said. "Jeu (Berkhof) is very even-keeled. I really took to that coaching style. That’s the style I’ll bring to Ellsworth. I’m still very energetic, but I’m going to stay a lot more even-keel than I used to.”

After being hired earlier this summer, Staley began working with Ellsworth Athletic Director Ann Huppert and even spoke with former head coach Jordan Petersen, who Staley has been an acquaintance with over the years.

Summer programming has included playing in a couple of tournaments, watching film from last sea son and starting to evaluate returning players with a fresh set of eyes. He spoke about everyone having a fresh slate because they will be playing in a new system later this fall.

“Everyone has a fresh slate for me,” Staley said. “I’m going to watch more games from last year, but I’m not going to judge too much because they’re going to be asked to do diuerent things this year.”

While Ellsworth graduated four starters from last season, most notably the slashing point guard Jack Janke and the three-point specialist wing Spencer Schultz, coach Staley is excited about some of the young talent he has seen in his first couple of in teractions with the program.

“I’m pretty excited about the guys that are coming back that are going to get a new opportunity to play,” Staley said. “That’s what high school sports are all about –

See ELLSWORTH COACH, Page B-3

Derek Staley

Photo submitted Ellsworth coach

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you’re going to lose a bunch of good seniors every year but you have to replace them with juniors, sophomores and freshmen.”

During the 2021-22 season, the Panthers prided themselves on being a stout defensive team that forced errors and then capitalized on those extra possessions on the other end. According to Staley, he still wants the team to remain solid defensively, but also wants to push the pace ouensively.

“I’m going to mold and adjust my style to the players I have, but I want to play an up-tempo style game that is exciting and fun to watch,” Staley said. “We’re going to be a very good defensive team, we’re going to communicate – you’ll hear us in the gym. We’re going to run the fastbreak and put up points, but we’re also going to be really tough defensively.”

According to Staley, Ellsworth’s basketball team has promising young athletes that will be a good fit for the style of basketball that he wants to play. Those athletes, many of whom are football players and played on a championship- caliber team last season, get Staley excited for what his team might be capable of this season.

“I think running the fastbreak and playing great defense will be our identity just by knowing the guys that I’ve worked with this summer,” Staley said. “We have the chance to be a really, really tough defensive team that is miserable to play against. Hopefully, that’s what we will be.”

While full X’s and O’s will come later when his players report for practice this fall, Staley is already working behind the scenes and is excited to be the next head coach of the Ellsworth boys basketball program.

“I’m honored to be the next head coach and I’m really excited for the future and the process,” Staley said. “We’ve got a great group of kids, a great community, a great administration and I’m excited to get going.”