“A shot in the arm.” That’s what coach Rick Bloomquist wants out of his newest assistant — someone who can give the Emporia High boys basketball program some new life — and he’s betting that the hiring of Carolyn Dorsey can provide that.
Bloomquist has named Dorsey, the Emporia High and Emporia State alum who’s in her first year of teaching biology at EHS, as the newest member of his staff. He informed the Spartan players of the hire this morning.
Dorsey, 24, has wanted to get into coaching since her playing career ended two years ago, and Bloomquist believes she’s qualified in large part because of her experience playing under coaches Bill Nienstedt at Emporia High and Brandon Schneider at Emporia State.
“She played in a regional championship game (at ESU),” Bloomquist said. “You look at her, she was a girl that didn’t get a full ride. She came on, she worked hard, she has all the intangibles that you want your players to have, with work ethic and desire and loyalty and sincerity and everything like this. She’s smart, she’s competitive, and I think she will demand respect.”
Dorsey will replace Cody Hudson, who resigned shortly after the EHS boys’ season ended in March. She had been doing some film work for Nienstedt’s Lady Spartans last season, and she’s coached some summer league ball, but this will be her first serious coaching job.
“When he first approached me, I was kind of shocked, but at the same time, I was really, really excited,” Dorsey said. “Because I’d been wanting to coach since I’d gotten done playing basketball, and I really thought this was a great opportunity for me.”
Bloomquist said he wanted his newest assistant to be someone in the building who would be around the team on a regular basis.
“I started thinking about it, and I (thought), well, the whole thing is that very seldom do you have a female that’s going to be an assistant for a male on a high school level,” Bloomquist said. “But I’ve never been one to back away from doing anything different.”
“It’s totally new, and it’s gonna be a challenge,” Dorsey said of coaching teenage boys. “But I’m really excited for it. It’s going to be different. It’s something I’m definitely interested in wanting to try.”
Her experiences playing under both Nienstedt and Schneider will help shape her coaching.
“They both really taught me how to play hard all the time,” Dorsey said. “Brandon and coach Nienstedt were definitely both defensive-oriented, and they kind of play an intense, fast-paced game.”
Dorsey, who was a 5-foot-8 guard/forward, finished her college basketball career in 2007, averaging 7.9 points per game her senior year, and graduated from ESU in 2008. She graduated from EHS in 2003 and was a first team All-Centennial League selection.
The EHS boys finished 12-10 this season, losing to Hutchinson in their substate final. Key returners for the Spartans next year will include Greg Canales, who will be a senior after earning third team all-league honors this year, as well as senior Bryce Childs, junior Brandon Gentz and sophomore Ryan Huth.
gogranny59 (anonymous) says...
Go, Rick!
May 6, 2009 at 2:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )