From the second Lisa LaVan told Warren’s girls basketball team that she was resigning after 16 years as head coach, assistant coach Jenny Phillips told the players she would be applying for the position.

Truth is, “from the time I moved back to Warren about 16 years ago and went to watch a Warren girls basketball game, I knew I wanted to coach one day,” Phillips said after being named new Lady Dragons head coach this summer.

“I grew up in a basketball household, playing from fifth grade, middle and high school and some time in college, and that love of the game never went away,” said Phillips, formerly Jenny Rondinelli. “As an adult, I sometimes play with my siblings and the rivalry is still there – they are still in denial, but know in their heart, I’m the best shooter in the family!

“I was so grateful when Lisa asked me to join the program back in 2018,” added Phillips. “We have had some good times, bad times, and times of uncertainty, but in the end, being around these young ladies, watching them grow and succeed, makes it all worth it. When the time came for me to decide if I was truly going to take over, I had a conversation with my husband and my family, and knew in my heart I couldn’t leave this team.”

Submitted Photo Jenny Phillips, left, has been named new Warren girls basketball head coach.

LaVan said leaving Phillips at the helm made her decision easier.

“I can’t think of a better human being to continue to guide the program to success,” said LaVan. “Over the years, she has grown into an amazing assistant coach, and she is beyond ready to be a head coach. The girls are so blessed to have a strong, confident female in her. To me, that is what is most important.

“Stepping away from the program was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make, but two things made the decision easier,” said LaVan. “It was the right choice for my family, (and) Jenny had agreed to take it over.”

In six years, Phillips has been a part of two region and two District 10 championships.

“Being part of this program over the past six years has been incredible,” said Phillips. “My coaching experience started when my sister volunteered me to coach my niece, Ella, in the YMCA girls basketball league (2014).

“I was hesitant when she mentioned this to me, but I looked at it as a way to spend time with Ella, and even better, teach a sport I loved. My next coaching venture was again with one of Ella’s teams; Lisa approached me and asked if I would coach the eighth-grade travel team. From there, it’s all history. One of Lisa’s assistants had moved out of the area and I was asked to join the high school program the next season. And here we are six years later.

“From the second we told the girls about Lisa resigning, I told them I would be applying for the position. I’ve been very open with them about my intention to hopefully become the head coach,” she said. “After Lisa resigned, the work didn’t stop. Our team has been very active this past summer. We held open gyms two times a week for both junior high and high school girls, took the high school team to camp at West Liberty University, West Virginia, and participated in leagues up in Jamestown and Indiana, Pa. We were busy. Since officially being named the head coach, I’ve had conversations with the players and tried to answer any questions. I’m taking it one day at a time. I’ve set up a schedule for open gyms, conditioning, and lifting sessions during the fall to prepare for our upcoming season. I don’t have a lot of girls during the fall as many of my players are multi-sport athletes, which I love. I’ve also helped out quite a bit with the junior high teams (7th and 8th) and set up a 3/4 and 5/6 grade basketball league. I’m so grateful for the parents who have stepped up and volunteered as coaches. Getting girls interested and playing basketball at a young age is the best way to build a program.

“I have short- and long-term goals for this program,” said Phillips. “My primary focus is on this upcoming season. The seniors we lost left a pretty big gap as both players and leaders, but I think with the talent and focus we have, it’s just a matter of finding and maximizing our strengths for success. We are a little smaller in height as a team, but I’d match up our grit and toughness with anyone. I also want to keep engaging the younger players, junior high and elementary, setting up leagues and skills camps to continue building on the fundamentals and knowledge of the game. The Lady Dragon program isn’t just the high school players — it’s all age levels and girls who want to learn and play the game.

“Being a Lady Dragon is all about culture,” added Phillips. “Setting expectations early — responsibility, being respectful and kind to others, commitment to your team, and giving 110 percent on the court, in school, and at home are things we emphasize to our players in both junior high and high school. Starting and building your culture early sets the tone for both current and future players in our program.

“Being a part of the high school basketball program back in the late ’90’s — wow, I’m aging myself — was something I always aspired to as a kid,” she said. “The youngest of three kids, I was always so envious watching my sister and brother play basketball at the high school and couldn’t wait to be on the team. Years later, to be part of the program as a coach is surreal. The program that has been built, not just when Lisa was coaching, but all the coaches before, has had a huge impact on this school and the players that have come out of it. My hope is to keep building this program and to help make each person a better version of themselves both on and off the court.

“Over the past couple years, Lisa and I have had some conversations about what might happen when Sammie (her youngest) graduated, but the finality of it didn’t come until shortly after our season ended,” said Phillips. “We went to dinner and she let me know her intentions. I wasn’t shocked, but certainly sad that she was leaving. Together, we had decided to keep it quiet for a while, have the banquet with the players and their families, and then figure out the best time to tell everyone. One thing she made clear, she wanted to do it on her own time and I was fully supportive of that… Lisa has taught me a lot about the game – particularly how much it’s evolved since I last played in college in the early 2000’s. But more importantly, she taught me that being a coach isn’t just about the fundamentals of the game, it’s helping these young ladies become good people and preparing them for the real world. I take great pride in my compassion for helping people, specifically young kids, whether it’s on or off the court. Building relationships with my players is a huge part of being a coach. You notice and hear how the players are doing, in school, with friends, on the basketball court. They need to know you’re there and take the time to celebrate successes or talk to them and understand how you might be able to help. Building trust is a key component and something I will always strive for in my program.

“Lisa and I are different people and coaches; me as the head coach will certainly be a big change, especially for the older girls on the team who Lisa has coached for a couple years,” said Phillips. “How I run practice, my player expectations and my decisions will be different… Some things that won’t change are what it means to be part of this program — respect for others on and off the court, hard work and maximum effort, positive energy and attitude, and being a supportive teammate.”

LaVan was recently inducted into the Class of 2024 of the Warren County Sports Hall of Fame. In her 16 years as head coach of Warren’s girls basketball, she led the Dragons to 268 wins (268-122) and four District 10 titles. This past winter, her last season, the Lady Dragons earned their first-ever PIAA playoff win — in overtime over Elizabeth Forward — to finish among the top 16 Class 4A teams in the state.

With a whirlwind of emotions, LaVan emphasized that the returning players “are in good hands.

“She is one of my best friends and I am so happy to watch her blossom into a great head coach,” said LaVan of Phillips. “She will do it her way, too, which I love.”