McMonigle takes reins for Lions' hoops

By Anthony Amorini • aamorini@communitypress.com • December 1, 2009
Reprinted with permission from The Community Press

New Richmond High School sports' fans are already well acquainted with first-year Lion head coach Brian McMonigle.

The 1998 New Richmond graduate and his three siblings, two younger brothers and an older sister, were athletic standouts at New Richmond for a decade.

The youngest of the bunch, Eric McMonigle, graduated in 2006 and Brian believes the basketball program has seen a steady decline ever since then, the coach said.

"Eric graduated in 2006 and then they won a total of eight games over the next three years. The program means a lot to me and it really bothered me to see that," Brian said.

"It was incentive for me to come back and try to improve the program," Brian added.

Brian is beginning his ninth year as a basketball coach with six of those seasons unfolding at Nagle Middle School in Anderson Township.

Brian was an assistant at Wilmington High School and coached a varsity girls' team in Kentucky for two seasons.

"I saw the job and thought it was a great opportunity for me to come back," Brian said simply.

New Richmond finished at 4-17 last winter.

Only two starters return for the Lions including senior guard Brian Mazzaro and junior forward Steve Binder.

Binder averaged 7.8 points a game and hauled in 67 rebounds last winter. Justin Wilson, a 2009 Lion graduate, led New Richmond with 13.8 points a game last season.

"I guess it's nice knowing they have some varsity experience. But anyway you look at it, we are starting from scratch," Brian McMonigle said.

Senior captains Jon Berwanger and Will Shoemaker provide the Lions with solid leadership, the coach said.

"They were there for all of the summer workouts and made sure all the guys were showing up," McMonigle said of Berwanger and Shoemaker. "Those two guys have taken the younger kids under their wings. They are really great leaders."

On top of intense practices, the Lions have also been watching a lot of film and even took a team trip to watch the collegiate teams from Northern Kentucky University and UC Clermont battle, the coach said.

"We have a long way to go with the fundamentals but the kids are willing to work hard," McMonigle said. "We are seeing improvement, but it's early and we aren't close to where we want to be."