Season of Changes: Eagle’s Boys Basketball Team Has New Head Coach

For 2017-2018 season the New Ulm Eagles boys basketball team will see a familiar face around practice. The new head coach for the Eagles is Steve Foley, who previously coached the team 3 years ago before Adam Tyhurst stepped in.

Foley is not only the head coach of the boys basketball team, but is also father of one of the team’s leading players, Connor. Connor was the leading scorer last season and is still the leading scorer this season. “It is different because you hear everything the coach says that not everyone hears, and it is also nice because he won’t hold anything back and he will keep telling me what I’m doing wrong and what I need to work on,” Connor said on being asked what it is like having his dad as the head coach.

The team has 3 returning starters, having lost last year’s senior Cooper Yackley, and now having lost this year’s senior Brett Bianchi to an unfortunate back injury during the football season. Senior Connor Foley said, “Brett is one of my best friends and I have played basketball with him my whole career and it’s been really hard on me, as his teammate and best friend not being able to play my senior year with him.” Brett was a good defensive player and brought intensity to every game. “He was always undersized, but he could play like he was the biggest on the court,” added Connor. With losing a senior like Brett, Coach Steve Foley also added his thoughts : “I was afraid we were going to lose that toughness that he brought to the court everyday but I am very happy with the way kids have stepped up and taken on that role.”

With the season starting the Eagles are 4-2 and are off to a great start. “It has been a good season. A lot of kids have stepped up in scoring and we have played very well,” Connor Foley said of the start of the season. We interviewed Coach Foley and got his opinion on the first six games. “I think we have come along way and have improved a lot. I know we are doing well, but we could always do a little better.”  

The Eagles have had a long drought of not having a winning season and look to turn things around this season. You can catch the Eagles playing at home against the Fairmont Cardinals December 22nd.