Alum Steve Wasmer hired to coach Mendota boys basketball

Steve Wasmer was a member of the Mendota boys basketball program during the Trojans’ most successful era in the 1990s.

Wasmer played on Mendota’s 28-2 state team in 1995-96 and was honorable mention all-state in 1997-98.

Now Wasmer hopes to bring the Trojans back to those heights.

After one season as an MHS varsity assistant, Wasmer was hired to replace athletic director Steve Hanson as the head varsity boys basketball coach at his alma mater.

“It means a lot to me,” Wasmer said. “When I went through Mendota, basketball was a force. Year in and year out we were at a minimum contending for a regional championship. Friday nights were a big deal in town. We had good rivalries with area teams that mattered, which makes coming into the [Three Rivers] this past season great. We can rekindle those rivalries. It means a lot more to the kids to compete with Hall and Princeton and St. Bede than it does to play Rockford Lutheran and Winnebago.”

Hanson said Wasmer’s passion for the program is an asset.

“Steve showed great enthusiasm for the position,” Hanson said. “He is a former player and takes great pride in the history and tradition that is Trojan basketball. He has a detailed plan and is ready to get things going. Steve is a natural leader and won’t be complacent as the leader of the program.”

Before coming to MHS as an assistant, Wasmer coached 11 seasons at Peru Parkside as the seventh and eighth grade girls and boys coach, leading the Raiders to four conference titles, three sectional appearances and one state appearance.

“Steve brings an energy and a desire for the program to improve,” Hanson said. “He has a foundation of experience that has him well equipped to lead us. He brings a different style and approach that our kids will enjoy and prosper under. He is a relational person and will build the necessary relationships to be successful.”

Wasmer said the season coaching under Hanson will be beneficial as he takes over the program.

“Making the transition from eighth grade basketball to high school is a big jump,” Hanson said. “It’s not as much the X’s and O’s as it is all the other stuff it takes when you’re in charge of a program. I’m not sure people know how much it entails, and I was certainly in that group before the season started. Learning from coach Hanson was a tremendous opportunity. He’s probably forgotten more about basketball than I know and showed me how to handle the ancillary stuff that comes with the position. I’m excited to take what I learned from him and blend it with my own philosophies and personality.”

Wasmer said he’ll bring a defensive philosophy to a program that has won 14 games over the past four seasons and hasn’t had a winning season since 2014-15.

“The game has changed a lot since I played,” Wasmer said. “It’s much more physical than it used to be. The kids are stronger and quicker, and the game is also officiated differently. If you don’t play disciplined, physical defense, you’re going to have a tough time competing. At this level, defense is what is going to take you to where you need to be. My philosophy is ‘control what you can control.’ That is defense and effort. You’re not going to shoot well every night, so defense and effort has to offset that.”

Wasmer said his goal for the program is to have the Trojans competing for regional and conference championships every season.