Sunderman named new Badin girls hoops coach
Varsity assistant the last six season takes over for Dan Purcell.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
HAMILTON — The Badin High School girls basketball program won't be undergoing drastic changes with the naming of Tom Sunderman as head coach.
Sunderman, a varsity assistant under Dan Purcell the last six seasons, plans to make sure of that.
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"I was interested in the head coaching job for the same reason I was there for six years — it's a school with a rich tradition and a lot of pride in the program," said Sunderman, officially announced as the Rams' new head man Wednesday, April 16.
"I don't know if there was an itch to be a head coach again," he added. "The opportunity just presented itself, and I wanted to make sure the program continued with the tradition it had and didn't end up in another direction."
Purcell took the Badin program to new heights in 13 years at the helm, leading the Rams to a state championship, three appearances in the state finals and nine district titles.
Badin went 18-7 in 2007-08, losing to eventual state champion Versailles in the Division III regional semifinals. Purcell resigned to focus on helping the BHS boys program, which includes his son Scott, currently a sophomore.
"We're very happy to have Tom as our head coach," Badin principal Frank Margello said. "He brings an air of maturity to the program. Tom is a nice link from our past to our future."
Sunderman views this as a long-term position.
"I told them I would be at Badin as long as they're happy with me and I have the passion to show up in the gym each season," he said. "I plan to be here for a while."
Sunderman's immediate plans are threefold: Finalize his coaching staff, start looking ahead to next season and expand Badin's feeder system.
• Coaches: Jerry Mathews, Joe Hurst and Tony Spradling have committed to returning to the program. No positions are set at this point, and Sunderman is currently looking at other coaching possibilities.
• Next season: The Rams will return zero starters and almost no varsity experience.
"I think people are going to expect a down year," Sunderman said. "I think we'll be picked last in the league, and we'll get in the city poll only because of the name on their chests. It's going to be a challenge, but we're going to set our goals high. The positive thing is that there's going to be no pressure on the girls."
• Feeder system: "We're going to try to work hand in hand with the Hamilton CYO program to develop something that girls can take pride in even before they get to Badin," Sunderman said. "We're also looking to offer something on a year-round basis, working around other sports activities and scholastics, for the grade schoolers."
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2194 or rcassano@coxohio.com.
