BY GUNNAR NIXON
In the late evening of February 17th, 2016, the non-marking soled shoes of the Lady Warriors serenade the Withrow High School gym with a symphony of soprano squeaks. Accompanied by the rest of his Mariemont coaching staff, Assistant Coach Doug Spreen–appearing poised for battle–has helped Coach Weilbacher and the rest of the staff lead the Lady Warriors on a 23-1 campaign, the best record in Mariemont’s history.
As they entered the postseason, the Warriors carried hopes to write the next chapter and go where no Mariemont team has gone before.
Defeating Shroeder and Archbishop McNicholas in the first two rounds of the Division III state tournament, the nearly-undefeated squad continued their momentum into the Mason Arena Friday the 26th, where they faced off against an equally first-seeded Tippecanoe team. “Although a deep run in the tournament is in the back of all our minds, we’re taking it one game at a time,” said Spreen, who credited the team’s talent and hard work before suffering a loss to Tippecanoe.
Junior point guard Carson Fields explains that while talent has undoubtedly played a role in the Lady Warriors’ success this year, Spreen has played a crucial role in many of the girls’ individual development as players. Just as well, in his fourth season under head coach John Weilbacher, Spreen has worked to establish a solid defense for a squad comprised of mostly junior and seniors.
Fields admires his ability to communicate and get the best out of her without yelling or scolding. “I wouldn’t say I’m the most coachable player and consequently I’m truly thankful for a coach that willingly worked with me one on one to improve my game defensively as well as offensively,” says Fields.
Senior small forward Aislynn Hartman, who will continue her career at division II Wheeling Jesuit University, adds that his dedication to his players extends beyond practice hours, spending time analyzing film in order to prepare the girls defensively.
“Before our game against Madeira, we must have spent 5 hours reviewing until we knew their plays by heart,” says Hartman.
While Spreen has enjoyed recent success with the Lady Warriors, his career began on a slightly smaller court. A 1987 graduate of Mariemont High School, Spreen played doubles for the Warriors.
But under the Friday night lights, Spreen opted to spend his time on the sidelines rather than the field. “As student trainer for the most part of my four years at Mariemont, I was the only guy who knew how to tape an ankle because we didn’t have a full time trainer at the time,” explained Spreen.
Following high school, Spreen pursued a career in sport medicine, attending Indiana University’s program after high school and eventually he landed his first job as an assistant trainer for the Cincinnati Red’s.
“Making an impression and doing something with the opportunities I was fortunate enough to have undoubtedly helped my career,” says Spreen, revealing that the work he did while interning for the Red’s secured him his first job out of college.
For the next few years, Spreen enjoyed his time with the Major League Baseball team; however, it wasn’t long before his passion for tennis took over. “During my time as an assistant trainer for the Red’s, I got to know some of the managers for the A.T.P, often visiting them while on the road,” says Spreen.
So when a trainer position opened with the A.T.P, Spreen willingly filled it.
In his new position as a trainer for the A.T.P., Spreen became acquainted with issues the professionals faced while playing on courts reaching upwards of 100 degrees–dehydration and heat exhaustion, as well as overuse injuries such as tendinitis, sore shoulders, and tennis elbow. During tournaments, he often tended to over 200 tennis professionals.
This soon changed when Spreen was approached by an up-and-coming 20-year-old Andy Roddick. “Andy expressed his concern that his nagging injuries, poor nutrition, and lack of hydration would bring a premature end to his career. He wanted me to not only prevent his injuries but also help him to maintain an overall healthier lifestyle,” says Spreen.
During his time traveling the world while on tour with Roddick, Spreen reveals winning the 2007 Davis Cup was undoubtedly one of the coolest experiences.
“The Davis Cup was something that 4 guys-the Bryan brothers, James Blake and Andy- had played 4 years to try and attain. It was like winning the world championship of tennis and being that close to the guys was incredible,” says Spreen, adding that a dinner party at Sir Elton John’s estate was a close second on his list of coolest experiences.
Following Roddick’s retirement, Spreen’s busy schedule subsided and coincidentally the assistant coaching spot opened up on Mariemont. “I knew I wanted to get back into coaching, so when Coach Weilbacher called offering me the position I quickly complied,” says Spreen, who had coached the Mariemont girl’s Junior Varsity basketball team before working with Roddick.
Now, in his 4th year with the Warriors, Spreen is focused on making an impact on a different kind of court. “I think I’m right in saying this is one of the best basketball teams Mariemont has ever seen, and we hope to build off this success,” says Spreen.
NOTE: The girls suffered a season ending loss in the district finals on Friday, February 26th to Tippecanoe in overtime. The score was 63-67. The Warriors finished 17-0 in the Cincinnati Hills League and were district runner-up.