Any talk of a sophomore jinx for Morgan Kasperek got silenced quickly.
Kasperek's efforts in her second season as head coach of the Glenbard South High School girls basketball team earned her a Coach of the Year honor from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, according to a recent posting on the Illinois High School Association's website.
“I was just really surprised,” Kasperek told the DuPage Policy Journal. “I thought it was amazing and very nice of everyone. You know, as a second-year head coach that's a big honor, so I was very appreciative.”
The Raiders went 21-6 overall and were undefeated in the Metro Suburban Conference. They improved on an impressive 2015-16 season in which they notched an 18-11 record.
A big highlight of last season for Kasperek was the Wheaton North Tournament, in which Glenbard South won three of four games in four days over the Christmas break to win the tourney.
“We played really well there,” Kasperek said.
After she finished her time at the University of Iowa, where she played for the Hawkeyes from 2002 to 2006, Kasperek got an indoor sports manager job. She worked with kids and liked it but then was moved into more of an office role, which didn't suit her. She went back to her alma mater, Hinsdale Central High School, and started working with kids again.
Kasperek spent one year as the sophomore coach at Hinsdale Central and also was head varsity coach for part of a season.
She then moved on to Glenbard South, working one season as the sophomore coach and one season as the assistant varsity coach before moving into the top spot.
Kasperek said that the impact sports has on young lives is something she loves as a coach.
“I think sports has the best way of translating things into your everyday life,” she said. “I mean, you see it all the time. It takes a lot of work to stick with it, and and it takes a lot of courage to go out there and play the game.”
The drama of sports is also a big draw for her.
“The wins are so fun, and the losses are so tough, and that's something you don't get in your daily life,” she said.
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