Longtime coach Beutel will be back on sideline

Former Gilmour girls basketball coach Bob Beutel has been hired to take over the girls program at West Geauga.

If West Geauga wanted a slam-dunk hire for its new girls basketball coach, it looks as if it got one.

Principal Jay Bishop and athletic director Tim Skoczen have confirmed that Bob Beutel has signed a letter of intent with the school to take over as the Wolverines’ girls basketball coach, pending board approval in early January.

Beutel, who has 694 career victories and led Gilmour to the Division III state championship in 2017, met with parents and players on June 26 and is ready to build a successful program from youth levels up to the varsity level.

“It’s funny. Our anniversary was the other day,” Beutel said of he and his wife Claudia, “and her present to me was a new whistle and lanyard. It felt really good to use it last night.”

Beutel, 67, takes over the West Geauga program from former coach Cheryl Rye, who stepped down in early May after 22 years at the helm.

Bishop said there were a number of candidates who applied for the job, but that Beutel rose to the top on a multitude of levels, from his interview to feedback from those he has worked with to his experience.

Bishop granted Beutel’s position is pending board approval but said he is “confident” the school district will be moving forward with this.

“The sky is the limit now,” Bishop said. “I think we’re going to do great things. He has plans to develop our youth program and build the program all the way up to the high school level. That’s what it takes.”

Beutel said his coaching staff will include longtime assistants Claudia Beutel and Greg Dugger. Other positions will be determined at a later date.

The Wolverines went 1-22 this past season with a young team that featured two freshmen - Nicola Ehrbar and Elana Zebrowski among the leading scorers. Of the players listed on the varsity roster, 10 were underclassmen.

Beutel said his team will be sound in defense and “seeing that I don’t see any 6-2 or 6-3 kids in the gym,” a focus on shooting and transition basketball will be key.

“Give me about two weeks and I’ll have a solid idea of what we’ll do, Xs and Os,” he said. “We will adjust to our personnel. But from what I’ve seen, we have some real scrappers and hustlers. We’re not super tall, but we have some length. I’m impressed with our athleticism.”

Beutel was not renewed by Gilmour after the 20162017 season, so he sat out last year. He said it “wasn’t fun,” but that he still got up every morning and “I did my basketball stuff, even though I didn’t have a team.”

Now he does, and he’s excited to be back in the game.

“They’re anxious to get going. I’m anxious to get going,” Beutel said. “It’s almost the end of June and we really done anything yet. We’re going to put the pedal to the metal and get this thing going.”

Beutel