A continuing feature at Outside the Huddle during basketball season, we will connect with area coaches on occasion to get their takes on big wins, huge matchups upcoming and more.
This preseason, we wanted to learn more about some area coaches before their seasons got going. For today, tracked down Blackhawk Christian girls basketball coach Steph Gongaware.
Q: What first inspired you to become a basketball coach, and how has your coaching journey evolved over the years?
I have always had a passion for the game of basketball. The strategy side of the game intrigues me. There are so many different ways to accomplish a goal depending on the personnel you have. I love trying to figure out how to put our team in the best position possible to win the game. I think why I truly wanted to coach was because I wanted to give back to the sport that gave me so much growing up. I had so many amazing coaches and teammates over the years that poured into me I guess I just wanted to do that for this generation.
A lot of my favorite memories growing up involve basketball, not necessarily the game itself, but being a part of something bigger than myself. My coaching journey started when I was in college. I was able to coach a 7th grade travel team. From there I was a grad assistant at Quincy University and got to experience the behind the scenes from that level. Blackhawk Christian is my first high school head coaching job and I couldn’t have dreamed up a better fit! I get to combine two huge passions of mine…Jesus and basketball!!
Q: Who have been some of the biggest influences on your coaching philosophy, and what lessons have they left with you?
I have had so many great mentors along the way it is hard to pick out just a few. I will start with my high school coach, Gene Johnson (Jimtown High School). Talk about a committed individual. He showed me what loyalty, hard work, and genuine looks like. My college coach, JD Gravina, who is now coaching at Western IL University, was the ultimate players coach. You knew he cared about you and wasn’t going to make you do something he wasn’t willing to do. He would do most of our conditioning with us which showed that he was willing to put in the work as well. He was very strategy oriented and taught me different ways to look at the game.
While both coaches taught me a lot, they had completely different styles. I have been able to take bits and pieces from each that have helped shaped the way I coach. I also really looked up to the late Coach Marc Davidson, former Blackhawk Christian boys’ coach. He was always willing to help me and give me advice and talk through strategy. I loved the way he kept the main thing the main thing and I think Matt Roth has done an incredible job continuing that legacy. So, it is nice to have Matt around every day to bounce ideas off of as well.
Q: How would you describe your coaching style — both on the court and in how you lead your players off of it?
The biggest thing for me is that any player that I coach knows that no matter what happens that it will never affect my relationship with them. Whether they play for me one year or all four, I am here for them no matter what and I truly care about them. Investing in the lives of my players outside of basketball is more important to me than how they perform on the court.
I will absolutely push them to be the best that they can be but that comes from a place of showing them that they are so much more capable than they think they are. I want them to know the feeling of how hard you have to work for something that you truly care about. Not just the game of basketball but caring about doing your best and working your hardest for yourself and the people around you. It is a life skill that is invaluable. If your players know you really care about them, they will be more willing to do the things you ask them to do even if it is hard. They know you want what is best for them. In all my years playing I can remember wanting to work the hardest for the coaches that I knew really cared for me beyond the game of basketball.
Q: What’s one lesson or philosophy you try to emphasize to your team every single year, regardless of wins and losses?
We are representing Christ in all that we do! It is easy to give glory to God when things are going well but how well do we do when we face adversity. Out of all my years coaching my favorite ending to a season was in 2023. Sometimes you don’t always see if the message you are trying to convey gets across to players until way later down the road. This particular year was a challenging year. We lost games we maybe should have won and we had some team chemistry issues we were trying to work on through the course of the year. I mean this season was just hard in every aspect. Our final game of the year was no different. We played a back and forth hard-fought game.
Our point guard went down in the 3rd with a torn ACL. The team kept fighting and battling the whole time. Other players stepped up in her absence. There was 0.9 seconds left and we were up by 2. They had the ball under their basket with no timeouts. If I am watching a game with that scenario, the team ahead wins 90% of the time or goes into overtime. Doesn’t matter how, but, we ended up losing by 1 point in regulation. The feeling of complete shock just takes over. We circled up to pray like we do after each game but what came next was something that chokes me up still to this day. My only senior that year, through tears, prays for the rest of the other team’s season and that God may be glorified no matter the circumstances.
That right there is what it is all about. Someone who just finished their career giving all the glory to God even when it was hard. It would have been so easy in the moment to ask someone else to pray or just walk off the court. While I was devastated for the girls and sad the season was over, I had an overwhelming peace rush over me. The locker room talks after the last game of the year are always so hard and you never can quite figure out what to say to ease the pain. That year was just different thanks to that significant moment. Our hope is found in Christ and not in our performance or outcomes of contests. So, if everyone that comes through our program knows that you are saved by grace alone and not by works or deeds than that is enough for me!
Q: How do you adjust your coaching approach based on the strengths and personalities of each year’s group?
It may seem obvious but I have learned that every player is completely different. Each year it is about learning how each player responds to coaching. Some players need that kick in the butt and others need a hug. Concerning on court approach, I always think I have the best offenses and defenses for that group but always end up having to tweak them. They just did not work for that group like the previous year or other teams you have coached. For me, it is important to understand every year is so unique and cannot be compared to other players or past teams. I can’t be stuck in past ways and have to be willing to adapt and not be offended if what I thought would work does not.
Q: What were the main areas of focus for your team during the offseason, and how do you build up those plans each summer?
Learning how to play with each other and putting people in positions to succeed based off of their strengths. It is important for us to know what everyone’s strengths are and to try and get them in those positions to best help our team. The last thing we want to do is to consistently put people in spots where they are uncomfortable or do not have a way out of a situation. That is what the other teams are trying to do to us so we don’t want to help them by doing the things they want us to do. Ball reversals are one thing but passing to a cutter who has no clear advantage or are about to get trapped just to get rid of the ball are things we need to stay away from. For us, we always try to get the other teams and players in positions they are uncomfortable so we need to recognize those within our group so we can help each other out.
Q: What are the biggest challenges your team will face this season, and how do you plan to overcome them?
We are a young/inexperienced team. We graduated three starters who played significant minutes. The more we play together the better we will be. We have hard working girls that have loads of talent which is so exciting as a coach. The ceiling is high when you have players that are willing to work hard and have the skills needed to win games. We need to focus on the fundamentals and strategy of the game. You have to learn the why of the skill so you will be bought in.
I never just want to say, “go do this because I said so.” I want them to know why they are doing what they are doing and that it has an overall purpose. I never just want to fill practice time with drills that do not pertain to what we as a group need just because another team is doing it. It is a waste of time and my players will not be as bought in if they do not see a direct correlation with the work we are putting in for the strategy we are using for the next game. It pains me to see a non-three-point shooter warming up shooting only threes before a game. That is kind of how I feel about certain drills for practices.
Q: Looking long-term, what do you hope your players take away from their time in your program — as athletes and as people?
This one is simple and goes along with what I said above. I hope everyone in our program knows how loved they are no matter what the stats or records say. That no matter what they do or where they go in life that I am just a phone call away. That no matter how much time has passed they can always pick up the phone if they need something. I want them to have an amazing high school experience. Playing multiple sports if they desire and to know I will be cheering them on.
I want them to feel a sense of accomplishment because of how hard they worked and to want to continue working hard for everything in life. I want them to be able to use me as a reference for a job so I can tell the employer how awesome they are and what a huge asset they will be to their company. But more than anything, I want them to know the most important thing is their relationship with Jesus Christ. That if all gets stripped away, He is always there and will never leave them or abandon them. I hope they understand that people are always watching (through good and bad) and that they can shine bright for Jesus through it all and bring others closer to Christ by how they live their lives.
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