Oglethorpe Tabs Aaron Nester as New Women's Basketball Head Coach

Aaron Nester’s coaching resume is a testament to the old adage that hard work pays off.

After spending the past five seasons as an assistant coach at Wartburg College, a Division III school in Waverly, Iowa, and the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at his alma Mater, Rockford College, Nester finally got the big break he has been working for last Tuesday.

Nester was tabbed the next head coach of the women’s basketball team, taking the reins on the heels of former Stormy Petrel head coach Ron Sattele’s resignation in early March. Sattele led the Stormy Petrels to a 115-64 record in his seven seasons at the helm, and captured the university’s first ever conference championship in a women’s sport in the 2009 season.

“First of all, I think Oglethorpe is a great institution with great people and great academics and that combination can go really far in developing kids to be successful in the world,” Nester said. “From a basketball standpoint, Oglethorpe has had success on a national level recently and I think there are a lot of positives going in the direction for the women’s basketball program.”

Much like his predecessor Sattele, Nester too has enjoyed considerable success at the Division III level.

Under head coach Bob Amsberry at Wartburg, the pair inherited a team that was 7-18 in the previous season and over five seasons turned them into a 20-game winner, posting a 21-5 overall record in the 2010-11 season.

At Oglethorpe, the Indianapolis native takes over a program that has been to an NCAA Final Four as recently as 2009 but has regressed in recent years, posting a paltry 6-19 record last season. The team, which had been taken over by assistant coach Fallon Rehmert following Sattele's sudden leave at the start of last season was plagued with injuries and the graduation of key players.

However, with the fertile basketball recruiting grounds of the Atlanta-area at his disposal, Nester is confident that he and his staff can revive the Stormy Petrel into a perennial national contender.

 “Obviously being in a big city helps to attract a lot of talented players and to be able to get those kids you have to be able to go out and work and be out there on the AAU circuit and during the high school season,” said Nester. “You’ve got to be willing to work on the phone and it’s just nice to have that in your own backyard so you don’t have to drive three, four hours away to get extremely talented individuals.”

 As Nester begins to assemble his staff and to prepare for the 2011-2012 season, the new head coach gave a glimpse into what we can expect to see from the Stormy Petrel women on the court next season.

“We’re going to be a team that has great energy, be great teammates on a day to day basis and have outstanding attitudes,” said Nester. “My kids are going to work hard, we’re going to defend night in and night out, we’re going to bring energy and effort and that’s going to be our staple.”