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Tri-Village 8th grade girls coach, Abbey O'Donnell, talks her team at
the end of the first quarter
Tuesday against Ansonia. O'Donnell is a
graduate of Arcanum High School and played for
Bluffton while in
collage. CNO Photos by George Starks.
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Arcanum graduate serving in a new role
O'Donnell goes from player to coach
By George Starks
NEW MADISON-Basketball has been the one sport that Arcanum graduate
Abbey O'Donnell has always been associated with. From her playing days
in high school, through four years at Bluffton, O'Donnell has remained
attached to the sport she loves.
Now instead of wearing the uniform, she's in street clothes and being
called coach Abbey or coach O'Donnell. Instead of posting a player up,
she's showing the 8th grade girls at Tri-Village how to do it.
Needless to say, the road from Arcanum to Tri-Village was a long one but it was a road worth taking.
"I love it here," said O'Donnell. "The staff, parents and the kids have
all accepted me here. I know basketball and now I'm trying to teach
these girls the right way to play the game. I try to structure things
so the kids can better understand it. I have some smart kids on this
team. Kids that want to learn to play the game the way it should be
played. Basketball is in my blood and my playing days are over. I
wanted to stay close to the game so I decided to take it to the next
level. So, here I am."
Pushing the kids to be their best is only part of what drives O'Donnell.
"I tell these kids different stories and try to show them different
techniques to help make them better," O'Donnell pointed out. "I just
hope my girls can move on and have more knowledge and skills than I
did. I want them to be more successful than I was."
In high school, it was Rachel Ferron that gave O'Donnell her direction
and guidance. So what did the Patriots coach bring from Arcanum and
Farron?
"I brought her enthusiasm with me," O'Donnell admitted. "She had
that jump around, crazy thing going on and I have that also. Rachel
taught me a lot not only as a player but she instilled a lot of good
qualities in me. A lot of what we do here is all Rachel. We do a lot of
defensive drills here because defense wins championships."
While O'Donnell gives her kids solid instruction, her kids give back to her as well.
"These kids give me a lot of laughs and they allow me to learn how to
handle different situations," O'Donnell said. "It's a lot more
enjoyable than I thought it would be. I have a great relationship with
my players. Watching them get better, not only on the court but as
human beings, it's really rewarding. I'm glad I'm in coaching so I'm
not going anywhere, anytime soon."
When her senior year at Bluffton was over, where did O'Donnell see herself?
"I never saw myself at Tri-village, " she admitted. "I figured I'd be
somewhere close to home, maybe even Arcanum. Now, I can't imagine
myself anywhere else but here."
O'Donnell not only coaches the 8th grade girls, she is also teaching Special Ed for 3rd and 4th grade at Patriot Nation
"I love those kids," said O'Donnell. "They have become my best friends.
They eat lunch with me so we kind of hang out with each other. These
kids teach me a lot of patience."
Currently O'Donnell is working on her Masters as a Speech Therapist
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O'Donnell is shown here during one of her many high school games at Arcanum.
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