The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Larrick has different perspective
Having a child provides new insight into coaching
Finding more common ground between parenting and coaching, Avon girls basketball coach Meghan Larrick had to step away from coaching right as the youthful Eagles started to turn the corner to take down the best of the Southwestern Conference. Welcoming her third child into the world in mid January, Larrick turned the keys over to assistant coach Joe Schafer just before Avon collected its two signature wins of the season. Knowing that she would need to leave the team at some point during the season for a significant stretch, Larrick prepared her staff for her absence before the season started. Having to step away at a crucial part of the season wasn’t the easiest reality for Larrick to accept, but she made the right decision for her and the team. “We knew that we had an inexperienced group and we knew that it would take half the season to get them playing together and getting into a groove and we had a lot of growing pains at the start of the season there and I’m so happy that they’ve started seeing some success,” Larrick said.
“They continue to push and continue to improve each day and I’m sad that I can’t be there with them everyday because I know they were working so hard.” Hard work is paying off big for the young Eagles. Knocking off last season’s SWC champs in Berea-Midpark, Avon followed up that performance with a huge win over the top-ranked team in the conference, Olmsted Falls. With Larrick cheering in the stands, it didn’t take long before she took to the bench to be there to support her team, but keep her trust in everything Schafer has been doing. “It’s really been eye-opening being at a different view point sitting in the stands or, at the last game, sitting on the bench and just from a different view point it’s been awesome to see how these girls have grown and becoming more well-rounded student athletes,” Larrick said. “It’s been a cool experience to be a part of and I just hope they continue to grow for these last few weeks of the season.” Seeing the growth of her players from a different perspective, Larrick got to witness her girls overcome adversity and play a full fourquarter game to give them the knowledge that they can beat anyone on any night. “We just try to remind them that you have to learn how to win a basketball game, you have to learn how to handle adversity, you have to be mentally tough, so those are some things we’ve been stressing all season,” Larrick said. “To see them overcome the adversity in the Olmsted Falls game when they had many opportunities where they could have given up or or could have let the run from Olmsted Falls overtake them, but they continued to fight back and Olmsted Falls is a phenomenal basketball team, so I know the girls were super excited about that.” Keeping her energy and efforts on the bench, Schafer is keeping the girls on track for a postseason run with a game against Amherst, a team the Eagles have lost to twice. “Our goal was to be the best defensive team the second half of the year and we’ve accomplished that goal except for one game,” Schafer said. “We tell our girls, everybody plays even for the first half in the Southwestern Conference, but it’s who has the mental attitude to get through that second half and I think our girls learned that.” Getting ready with tournament time around the corner and Larrick focusing her attention at home and the development of her players, she has seen her team learn what it takes to win those big games. Being in her player’s shoes at one point in her own career, Larrick said she will be there for those tough moments when her team needs her most. “It’s a cool thing that I was able to be a high school athlete, college athlete, so just being able to mentor them and provide some support and also ideas on anything that comes their way,” Larrick said. “We’ve had some success in tournaments, we’ve upset some teams, so we’re hoping the girls will go in with that underdog mentality and just play their hearts out and that’s what it’s all about.”