Class A

Wingfield looking to turn around Wilson girlsBY SPENCER WHITE, SPORTS WRITERTUE, 17 APR 2012 08:00:00 CDTAda-
Hoping to turn around a program that has seen its fair share of struggles, Wilson High School has hired Brian Wingfield to coach the girls basketball team this upcoming season.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to coach at Wilson,” Wingfield said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge of building a strong program that our school and community can be proud of.”
Wingfield comes to Wilson after a year spent as an assistant coach at Durant. While there, Wingfield helped push the Class 5A Lions to a 20-4 record and No. 9 ranking in the state.
The Wilson program is hoping that by bringing in Wingfield, some of that success will rub off on a team that has struggled mightily in recent years. It will be Wingfield’s first head coaching position, but he is not worried about the challenges facing him.
“Coming in not having any head coaching experience, I knew I was going to have to take over a struggling program like this,” Wingfield said. “It’s something I was ready for.”
Having come by to see the group of girls he be working with in a brief meeting, Wingfield had nothing but positive things to say about the squad.
“They seem to be great group of young ladies,” Wingfield said. “I can’t wait to start working with them.”
Wingfield’s first job, he says, will be changing the attitude.
“The biggest thing is getting the kids confident in themselves,” Wingfield said. “They have to believe they can do it before they can actually get it done.
“We’ll go from there to the fundamentals.”
And what brand of basketball can Wilson fans expect to see from a Wingfield squad?
“My main emphasis is on the defensive end,” Wingfield said. “I’m really big on defensive man-to-man and rebounding. If a team can control the glass and force their opponent to put in bad shots, then we’ll be in every game.”
But more importantly, at least for Wingfield, is that the mentality of the squad stay strong in any circumstance.
“Just be ready to watch a group of girls that are going to work hard the entire game,” Wingfield said. “A team that’s full of heart and hustle.”
Wingfield will conduct his first camps as head coach beginning May 21-24 when the junior high camp is held, while the high school camp will be from June 4-7.