Michael Collison recently joined the Mort’s Water Company sports beat to talk about starting his next journey coaching at IFA as the head coach of the girls basketball program.
Collison was the boys coach for seven years and fills the role for former girls coach Brandon Uhlenberg who held the role for 15 seasons. Collison says having an impact through basketball is a passion and is ready to start a new tradition in the girls program.
“I love this community and I love being able to work with our kids in basketball, whether those are boys or girls,” says Collison. “Alot of these girls that are playing in the program are kids that I’ve worked with within our youth program for years. It’s a passion area for me, basketball in our community and to set a new tradition, try to have some new memories. Their’s been success Coach Uhlenberg did a great job, and had some really good years with the girls basketball program. It’s shown that it can be done. I’m excited to be able to be apart of it and take it a step further.”
Collision says relationship building will be an area of emphasis with the new team this offseason.
“Going into this year, I want to make positive connections with all of the kids in our program and really get to know them. I felt like I did that really well with the boys program, that was seven years of work, of kids coming to our youth camp and watching them in middle school. While I’m familiar with alot fo these girls, I was coaching on the boys side. I am going to have to work hard to make sure they know me, know who I am and what I stand for. Then vice versa, for me to get to know them and what their going to be like as players this offseason.”
The Cadets will have big shoes to fill with the graduation of top-scorer and rebounder Ella Sharar. The Cadets are projected to return 10 players including top performers Joslin Johnson and Addison Dennis.
Iowa Falls closed the year at 11-11.
