Weber transitions from player to coach: Former Sigourney star takes on new role as head basketball coach of the team she used to play for

SIGOURNEY – Everything felt the same, but so incredibly different. 

She had been in the gym and watched many games in the Sigourney gym since she graduated from Sigourney in the summer of 2021, but on Nov. 26 when she stepped into the gym for the non-conference game against Albia everything was different for her. 

That’s because she was no longer the player, but now the head coach of the Sigourney team she played for not too long ago.

When Kaylee Weber entered the floor for her first varsity game as the head coach of the Savages, the former player had more than a few mixed emotions. 

“It is kind of crazy when I first walked out onto the floor, I kept thinking, ‘I should be playing tonight,’” Weber said. “It is also something that I enjoy. I enjoy teaching the next generation and giving back to the game. I love the game a lot and am excited for this role.”

Emotions were high for Weber as she coached the next generation of Savages, which included some of her own former teammates as well. 

As the coach, adorned in a bright pink blazer, watched the game unfold she had to continually remind herself that she was the coach, and not the player. That meant she had to think more about what was happening in the grand scheme of the game, rather than just one play at a time. 

“Being a player I just went out and played,” Weber said about her playing days. “Of course I listened to the coaches and what they were telling us. When I was on the court as a player, though, I lost all focus on anything but what was happening out on the court. I didn’t really stress that much when I played.”

Emotions didn’t bother Weber as a player, and that was a big reason why she was able to have success on the court. Her senior season for the Savages Weber was able to lead her team with 467 points. She also had 258 total rebounds, which also was a team leader in that category. Additionally, she had 20 blocked shots, 48 steals and 38 assists. Weber, was in a true sense, a complete floor player. She was able to take control of both the offensive and defensive sides of the court, and that’s what led her to have success during her playing career.

Now, she still has to control the court in a different way. She still has to be a field general, but now from the sidelines instead of out on the court. That is part of the reason why the Nov. 26 game made her feel differently than any time she had ever played. 

“Now that I am a coach, I don’t think I’ve ever been as nervous as I was before tonights game,” Weber said after the Nov. 26 game, in which Albia won 61-43. “I just have to settle down and focus on what I am telling the girls and also what I need to do to make the game go well for the team.”

Settling into the role of telling players what to do in certain situations is something that Weber thinks will be the biggest adjustment as she goes from being a player to a coach. 

“I had a lot of things to learn,” Weber said. “There’s a lot of situational things that I know I’ll have to continue to learn and pick up on. I think the biggest thing from tonight was when to pull out the girls when they are struggling with fouls.”

When she was a player she would just tell her coach if she needed a break or needed to come out of the game. As a coach she almost needs to preemptively pull players if they start dragging their feet, or start to pile up too many fouls on the scoreboard. 

Like anything new it is all about learning from each experience and making the next one better. That’s why Weber isn’t taking the season-opening defeat too hard. 

Of course starting the season with an 0-1 record isn’t fun, but even in the first game the Savages were able to continually get better as the game went on. 

“I didn’t make certain game adjustments sooner,” Weber said. “I guess I didn’t feel comfortable doing some of them until the fourth quarter. I also need to listen to what the girls are telling me, and also what I am saying to them. So things like that I know I need to work on as the season goes on.”

One thing that will help as in season adjustments go, is that Weber already has the trust of the team, which is important for the success of any team. 

It can also sometimes be rare for a team to have trust in a coach that used to play with some of the players.

“Sometimes it is kind of crazy looking at some of the players that I played with and having to coach them,” Weber said, mostly of the seniors of the team who were eighth graders when she graduated. “The good thing is that they respect me. They don’t look at me as their teammate, they look at me as their coach which I think is kind of rare to see from a team where their coach was their teammate.”

The distinction between coach and teammate will help as Weber wants to continue to build relationships with her team. After all, that is the best way for the team to start to form a tight bond, if every member is able to trust each other. 

“I feel like I know the girls a little, but I need to know them a lot better and I need to learn their limits and when I need to pull them out and things like that,” Weber said. “With a younger team I am excited to build the relationships with the underclassmen. I can still build relationships with the seniors too. I played with the seniors. Building relationships will be key to having success this season.”

Building upon the existing relationships and adding new relationships will help the Savages this season. After all, Weber has experienced success at Sigourney, and she knows what type of success the Sigourney faithful are used to.

“There are a lot of high expectations when it comes to coaching at a school that I played at,” Weber admitted. “I hold myself to a lot of high expectations anyway. I have a lot of people that I look up to that are still here in Sigourney.”

Once the relationships between the coach and the players reaches a solid point, and once Weber is able to get used to her role as a coach, she knows she can continue to elevate a Sigourney basketball program that has been on an upward trajectory ever since she played on the court.

“Sigourney basketball has been rising the last few years,” Weber said. “So that’s something that I want to continue to build upon. I need to be sure to get my team to where I know Sigourney standards are. I know the girls are capable of it, I just need to make sure I get them there.”

If the fourth quarter of the first game was any indication, then the Savages will be up to Sigourney standards in no time.  

“We are looking to bounce back, and we will,” Weber said. “We will get better.”