TRAVERSE CITY -- Traverse City Central athletic director Cody Inglis said Eric Woughter's commitment to the girls' basketball program put him above other candidates in the search for a new varsity coach.
How committed is Woughter?
Just five hours after being introduced as the new varsity coach for the Trojans Monday afternoon, Woughter was running an open gym with about 30 girls at East Junior High.
"I had been in the loop about this, but I didn't know I'd be able to run it until today," Woughter said of the open gym.
And while the official announcement of Woughter's hire had come several hours earlier, he was still beaming about his new position.
"On a scale of 1-10, this is probably a 15," Woughter said. "This is my dream job."
Woughter replaces Larry Truelove, who stepped down last season after leading the Trojans for eight years.
Not only did Woughter get the varsity basketball job, but he will also be a faculty member at Central High School in the fall. Inglis said that Woughter's teaching position with the district hasn't been finalized, but human resources will have a job for him when school begins.
Woughter is a certified teacher in physical education.
"I feel great about the enthusiasm and energy he's going to bring to the program," Inglis said. "And, he brings continuity because he's someone who's going to be in the building. We were able to (hire Woughter as a teacher) with the help of human resources and our principal to get him in the building."
Woughter will also have a lot of familiarity with the girls' basketball program. His daughter Abby will be a sophomore in the fall and he also coached the JV team two years ago.
"I think we're overall very skilled," Woughter said of his new team. "And deep too. The cupboard is full, so to say. There's really good talent here. I've come in at the best time."
Among the returning players is Dori Lansbach, who led the Trojans in scoring last year as a junior. Woughter said Lansbach is the type of player who "makes coaches look good."
Woughter, a 1989 graduate of Otisville-LakeVille in the greater Flint area, played baseball and basketball at Mott Community College before playing baseball at Saginaw Valley State University.
The basketball job at Traverse City Central will be Woughter's first varsity position after previously working for the Trojans as the JV coach for baseball and girls' basketball.
"I've served on many camps and coached youth leagues for many years," Woughter said.
Now that he's running the show, Woughter will put an emphasis on playing strong defense and pushing the ball off of the defensive set.
"I love Larry and I coached under him, but our styles and philosophies are going to be different," Woughter said, adding that he is confident that the girls will adapt to his system quickly. "My philosophies are based more on attitude than skills. I believe that if you want it, you can get it."
Woughter will also be looking to fill out his coaching staff with the JV basketball position currently open. Inglis said that Woughter will work with him in filling that position.
"I have a couple of guys in mind, and we will see who the best guy is" Woughter said. "I want to get that taken care of as soon as possible."
The JV job is one Woughter is very familiar with after holding the position two years ago. He had to step down from the post when he accepted a job as district executive for the Boy Scouts.
Now that he has both a teaching and a coaching position at Central, Woughter is planning on being with the program for the long haul. He has another daughter in third-grader Margot and wants to see her through the basketball program.
"I'm going to be here forever," Woughter said.
Print this story
E-mail this story
