Dolan
WABASSO — One year after coaching the Wabasso girls basketball program during the 1997-98 season, Neil Dolan's historic run as Rabbits head coach has come to an end.
Dolan made the decision to step down as head women's basketball coach at the end of last season. The Rabbits finished the 2023-24 season with a record of 7 wins and 20 losses.
The Wabasso women's basketball program has gone through some tough losing seasons over the past five seasons, but Dolan continued to dedicate her time to coaching and mentoring her players on and off the court through the ups and downs.
After 23 seasons as head coach at Wabasso, Dolan is ending her tenure as the school's longest-tenured girls basketball head coach. He finished with a career record of 392 wins and 206 losses.
Mr. Dolan said the decision to resign was not an easy one, but a combination of factors led to his decision.
“My longtime assistant, Stan Rorick, resigned earlier this year. We've been together for about 20 years, and that certainly got me thinking.” Dolan said. “But I had a son. [Moses] and my daughter [Grace] This year I had the opportunity to help with coaching and it was a great experience. At the end of the season, a lot of things came together and I started to think that maybe it was time to end my 23-year career. It wasn't easy, it certainly wasn't easy, and I still don't know if I made the right decision, but here I am. ”
Dolan coached several different teams to seven conference championships during his tenure, including five solo conference titles.
The Rabbits shared a share of the conference championship in the 1998-99 season, Dolan's second year as head coach, and won the solo title again in 2003-04, the same year the Rabbits defeated Underwood 59-48 at Target Center to earn the Class A title. Won the state championship. . Wabasso won the conference again in three consecutive seasons starting in 2012-14, won a share of the conference title in 2017-18, and won the conference championship again in 2018-19.
Dolan left four seasons ago after the Rabbitohs won a state title in 2004, and returned to the program for the 2008-09 season before leaving again in 2024.
There were three main reasons why Dolan resigned after winning the state title in the first place. This is because his wife gave birth to triplets.
Dolan, who now has eight children in total, said it was important to take a step back from coaching during that time, but he was glad to be back.
Even though he has won many games, winning is not what Dolan preaches to his players. He certainly hated losing, but he always wanted his players to prioritize three things.
“It's faith, family, school and sports.” Dolan said. “We've always lived by it, I've always coached by it, and I've always lived by it. And that's why I coach, too. Coaching is about winning and losing. Not everything, never. That's why the last four or five seasons haven't been a loss for me. It's not about winning or losing, it's about teaching kids about faith, family is important to kids, school is important to kids. And sports are important too.
In many ways, teaching players how to be better people was more important than teaching them how to be better basketball players.
“Even if you don't necessarily have the skill set to be a great basketball player, that's a big deal.” Dolan said. “What matters is whether you have the skills to be a great person and a great person who succeeds in life. That's what coaching is about and what people need to understand. That's what high school is all about. Basketball, especially for smaller schools.
“It's about building confidence in ourselves and teaching our young women and young men who they want to be. It's about how they can get from point A to point B and be successful. So what if we win? And those victories will come someday.”
Dedicating your time and making sacrifices is part of being a coach, something Dolan knows all too well, having missed countless games his kids played in during his time coaching Wabasso.
But Dolan made that sacrifice and his family supported him throughout his coaching journey.
“I have had the Getters, the Altermatts, the Rossmeyer’s, and I have coached families of girls who have changed my life.” Dolan said. “The Rossmeyer family changed my life, the Getter family changed my life. Those girls are great kids. Watching them play 300, 400 games a minute. , I haven't changed. I know my daughters, Morgan Frank, Madison Getter, Chelsea Getter, and I know they appreciate that and understand that. ”
Dolan's children, all of whom attended Tracy Milroy Balaton School, happily wore Wabasso merchandise and cheered on the Rabbitohs to support their father. Dolan also said the players sometimes practiced at Wabasso wearing TMB shirts, which they always respected.
“I wore it when I came to practice.” [TMB] If you wear a T-shirt, they will support you 100%. ” He said. “That's why I consider them my children, and always will. I have hundreds of daughters and have coached them over the years, but there are five that I would like to raise as my own.” ”
Wabasso activities director Joe Kemp called Dolan a coaching pillar at Wabasso who changed girls basketball.
“He was very good with the kids. He had very strong relationships with our girls, so I think they were able to match his competitiveness.” Kemp said. “He's a very passionate guy and he built a great relationship with our kids. … What he did from the mid-'90s to the early 2000s was a full-court pressure, fast-break style. And I think that kind of changed women's basketball in that area and probably a lot of the state. I think the team had to adapt to what Neal did and what he brought to the game.”
Dolan understood his passion for coaching through his 23 years of coaching at Wabasso and thanked his wife for taking special care of their children. He also said he has a lot of respect for fellow Tomahawk coaches like Bruce Woitas, Mike Kelly, Paul Arnoldi, Becky Busse and Rich Busse.
Dolan said he has been blessed to coach all of the players he has at Wabasso, and that even at 60 years old, he still feels young and wants to keep his coaching doors open.
“I'm so grateful for every opportunity. Every kid I've had to coach is like my daughter.” Dolan said. “I'm blessed with them. But I don't know. Is it over? I don't know, but I'll find out soon.”
