The search for a new girls varsity basketball coach is officially over.
Oxford Athletic Director Mike Watson announced May 9 that Stephen Emert, of Waterford, was recommended to the board of education for the position of varsity girls basketball coach, effective immediately.
‘I am very excited about it because I knew Ian (Smith) when he was there, and I know Oxford is a premier position,? Emert said. ‘So when this became available, I knew that I wanted to get back into coaching varsity basketball again and this was an ideal position.?
He will be taking over the Wildcat program after former coach Al Poynter resigned in March due to health concerns.
In Poynter’s last season, the girls finished 3-17, 3-11 in the Oakland Activities Association white division.
Emert brings a wealth of experience to the OHS sidelines. Overall, he 28 years of coaching experience between the high school and collegiate level.
He coached the Walled Lake Central High School varsity boys basketball team from 1979-1999. He also led the varsity girls program at Walled Lake from 1995-1998 as well as Oakland Community College’s women’s basketball team from 1999-2001.
Last season, he returned to the sidelines as the assistant varsity girls basketball coach after retiring from Walled Lake Schools in 2010.
‘I wasn’t in the gym 10 minutes and I knew I wanted back into it,? he said. ‘It is something that I have missed in the years I was away from it. I have a passion for the game and I just enjoy being around young people and working with them.?
Emert looks to infuse his up-tempo style into a girls team that struggled scoring points during stretches last year.
‘I do prefer to play up tempo and it is what I have done all these years,? he said.
Emert said he likes playing a lot of kids and during his last five seasons as a varsity coach, he averaged between 10 and 12 players seeing action per game.
‘The kids who buy into that system understand that if I work hard here and I become very aggressive defensively, I am going to get an opportunity to play,? Emert said.
Returning players, their parents and the community are welcome to meet Emert on Thursday, May 12 at 7 p.m. in the OHS LGI Room.
‘I think that it is important that the parents get to meet me and see me as soon as possible,? he said. ‘I don’t want it to be isolated. I want the parents to know me as me. I think that is very important. It is not a dictatorship; I want them to see what I am all about, what my philosophies are, what my feelings are, what my expectations are, what my demands are.?
Emert expects his players to work hard every single practice. ‘Total intensity and I think there has to be a commitment to work hard in practice,? he said.
‘I always got a kick when someone says we have the will to win, and my philosophy has always been you have to have the will to work to win,? he added.
During his years at Walled Lake Central, he earned 313 coaching wins and coached 10 Michigan High School Athletic Association district championship teams, five regional championship teams and a state finalist.
He was twice voted as the Oakland County Coach of the Year by The Oakland Press and won the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Regional Coach of the Year Award twice.
Emert spent 25 years as a physical education instructor in the Walled Lake school district before moving into various administrative roles. He served as the Dean of Students at Walled Lake Central High School for two years and was the Re-Entry Center Director for three years.
He went on to spend five years as the athletic coordinator and assistant principal at Walled Lake Northern High School before advancing to the position of director of athletics and physical education for Walled Lake Consolidated Schools.