Cary takes over for Josh Mason, who coached the Indians for four seasons and led them to an Ohio Heritage Conference South Division title in 2017.
“He’s put us in an incredible position,” Cary said. “The girls are very disciplined and they’re used to excellent preparation, not just with practice but with scouting reports. He was very thorough.”
Cary taught middle school science the last three years and coached several of the incoming freshmen as part of the middle school program last year. She’s spent the last few weeks hosting Zoom meetings to get to know them even better.
“I’m already familiar with the girls and that’s helpful,” she said.
The Indians return eight varsity players from last year’s team that went 12-13, including senior Elly Coe. Cary hopes to play an uptempo style of play, similar to former Cedarville University coach Kirk Martin.
“Coach Martin would always say, ‘You’ve got to get the ball up the floor without dribbling’,” Cary said. “You’ve got to get it out there and go as fast as you can go. I want that for the girls. I know they’re very athletic. Defensively, we want to do what we can to keep the other team on their toes.”
Cary is familiar with the Ohio Heritage Conference having coached in the middle school ranks last season. In the OHC South, Catholic Central, Greenon, Greeneview and Cedarville all won 11 or more games.
“It puts the bar up there really high,” Cary said.
She’ll be joined on the coaching staff by her husband, Tim Cary, who serves as a play-by-play announcer for Cedarville University. They have two children, Jana and Josh.
“(Tim) loves being around the game as much as possible,” she said. “He’s a gym rat.”
Cary has kept in touch with many of her former Northwestern players, she said. She hopes to bring a holistic approach to coaching.
“These aren’t just relationships you have while they’re in school,” Cary said. “They’re relationships we want to have throughout their lives. We want what’s best for them on the basketball floor, but also what’s best for them in school and as you prepare them for life past school.”
In high school, Cary played for Chad Mason, who is now Cedarville’s superintendent.
“He’s definitely an example of how a high school coach can impact a player’s life for multiple years like I’m hoping to do for my players,” she said.
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