Waubonsie Valley athletic director Chris Neibch was a football player at Millikin at the same time Brett Love was there playing basketball.
The two only knew each other in passing.
“I probably said hi to him a few times in the hall, but that was it,” Love said. “I was into the books and basketball. I wasn’t a party guy.”
Love still isn’t a partier, but he and Neibch see each other more often since Neibch hired Love to lead Waubonsie’s beleaguered girls basketball program.
Love, who runs an AAU team, has replaced David Owles, who had a 20-114 record in five seasons.
“We had a really extensive search with a lot of applicants,” Neibch said. “There were five or six I went through during a second round and Brett just stuck out.
“We’re excited about him. He brings a lot of energy. He’s so positive.”
Positivity is something the Warriors were lacking. They went 5-22 last year, including 1-15 in the DuPage Valley Conference, continuing a recent pattern of futility.
But the hope is Love can restore the luster to a program that had 18 winning seasons in 19 years from 1993-2012, including a 75-11 record under Kim Connell from 2009-2012.
“I have high expectations,” Love said. “We’re nowhere near where we need to be. We still have a lot of work to do so we’re going to cover as much ground as we can.”
Love, who works in the school’s testing center, was surprised at the lack of confidence among the players when he met them for the first time last spring.
“I don’t like to bash any previous coaches, but I asked the girls, ‘What would you like to have happen that didn’t happen?'” Love said. “They wanted someone to lead them and push them to the next level.”
Love has been a leader at every level he’s worked. He played three sports including basketball at Thornwood, where as a senior he teamed with freshman Eddy Curry.
Love was the girls coach at Hinsdale South from 2014-2016, where he compiled a 35-25 record, including 20-10 his final season. He spent last winter as the boys varsity assistant at St. Francis.
He was working as a teacher’s assistant at Metea Valley when he learned of the Waubonsie opening.
“I didn’t know anyone coming here,” Love said. “It’s a lot bigger school than Hinsdale South. All I could do was research the history, and I went to (the players) to get a feel for what they need.”
What he found was the Warriors needed self-confidence and work ethic.
“It was evident they didn’t know how to work hard,” Love said. “We had to address that. We had to teach them how to be confident.
“Before one game this summer, they were already talking on the bench about how they were going to lose the game. We had to change that, and after we had that talk, we beat a good St. Charles North team by 20 points.”
Few expect the Warriors to improve dramatically, but Love does have a track record.
His individual clients include Stephanie Hart, Maddy Yelle and Madison Mallory of reigning state champion Geneva as well as former Oswego East stars Ty Battle and Sydney Schultz.
The Warriors don’t have that kind of talent, but will rely on three-year veterans Caleigh Cramer and Gina Palasz to lead a young team.
“Sometimes, you need a new direction and new ideas that kind of freshen things up,” Neibch said. “He has the girls working hard and they are buying into it.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.