Lutheran West hires Toth as basketball coach

The search for a new boys basketball coach at Lutheran West did not take long.

On May 10, Longhorns’ Athletic Director Ryan Miller announced the hiring of Nick Toth to replace Drew Senney as the next boys basketball coach.

“Coach Toth’s coaching style is one that resonates with me — it’s rare to find a coach who can do two crucial things successfully and simultaneously: first, relate to young people, showing them that he genuinely cares for their development and their lives; and second, using that genuine relationship he builds to create player investment in the team’s goals and culture, while pushing them to reach their highest potential,” Miller said in a press release. “Through this approach I am confident he will hold everyone in the program accountable to the habits, behaviors and values he will instill as he shapes the identity of our program and the players who define it.”

Toth, who entered the

Lutheran West community on Feb. 7 when he was hired as offensive coordinator of the football team, brings a wide variety of experience to the program.

While the bulk of Toth’s experience comes on the gridiron, including state titles with Toledo Central Catholic and a stint as the defensive coordinator at Fresno State, along with high school stops at Eastlake North, Holy Name and Columbia, he has also spent time as the JV boys basketball coach at Padua as well as serving as a varsity assistant at Columbia.

Miller said Toth is known as a “program builder — the type of coach who aims for success on the field or the court, but also puts in the behind-the-scenes work to develop the vision and future of the program.”

That type of mind-set will be needed, as the Longhorns have been in a boys basketball rut. Under Senney, the program experienced a pair of losing seasons, going 11-35 in his two seasons.

“I’m happy and excited to be the next head coach of the Lutheran West basketball program,” Toth said. “I love the school and the kids. We have an opportunity to do something special here.

“Being competitive is not the goal — we want more than that, we want to build the program and win games. We will play hard and we will work to establish ourselves as a team who plays great defense.”

In addition to the hiring of Toth, Miller announced the hiring of Luke Toth as a varsity assistant coach. Luke Toth, who played high school basketball at Parma, played junior college basketball for Lakeland Community College for one year before transferring to Cuyahoga Community College. He played one year before injuries forced him to end his basketball career. Luke Toth transferred again and subsequently graduated form John Carroll.

Miller also announced the hiring of Len Marcinko, who boasts coaching stops at Holy Name, Case Western Reserve and Hiram College, as a special assistant.

Toth