Skylar Wolf has been with the Perry schools all of one year, teaching seventh grade science and serving as a volunteer assistant with the girls varsity basketball team.
Wolf will continue his classroom duties when classes begin August 23, but will also become the third varsity head coach for the Jayettes in three seasons once his contract is approved — as is expected — by the Perry School Board at their Monday meeting.
“I am looking forward to working with the girls on returning this program to where it should be,” Wolf, a 2012 South Hamilton and 2016 UNI grad, said. “I have worked two or three times a week over the summer with several of the girls on their skills, and, of course, worked with them last year, so we know each other and will be able to maintain our relationships, which is important.”
Wolf takes over for Chris Morrow, who stepped down less than a month ago after finishing 3-19 overall and 1-13 in Raccoon River Conference play in his one season on the sidelines for Perry.
“One difference is that I have been working with the girls and preparing them to play coach Morrow’s style, and not mine,” Wolf said. “With any coaching change there will always be some differences.
“My focus will be on playing better defense,” he said. “We are not going to be able to score with the better teams in the conference, but if we can hold them down and then play well offensively we will give ourselves a chance, which is what we want.”[wpedon id=”85410″ align=”left”]
Perry was outscored by an average margin of 49-32 last season, and in 10 of 22 games failed to reach 30 points. The Jayettes were 2-2 in games in which they held opponents to fewer than 40 points, a goal Wolf hopes will become the standard.
Participation numbers are plaguing several Perry sports, both boys and girls, from the varsity level down through the middle school. In an optimum situation, large middle school numbers would slowly thin as varsity playing time approached, leaving the most talented or dedicated players still involved.
Morrow devoted much energy to increasing youth basketball participation for the Perry girls, an area Wolf said he would continue to stress.
“I think the other big thing is not so much skills as it is self-confidence,” Wolf said. “I will be the third coach in three years for most of these girls. What they really need, I think, is to know they can trust each other and believe in each other and know that others believe in them, too.”
