Burns gets his turn at leading West Noble girls basketball

After a year away from the program, Jeff Burns is returning to the West Noble girls basketball team, this time as head coach of Chargers. 

“It’s a dream come true," Burns tells ParkviewSportsMedicine.com. "For a long time, I have envisioned coming back, and coaching, and becoming a head coach."

Burns was approved as the head coach during a West Noble School Corporation board meeting May 26.

The West Noble basketball bench is a familiar one for Burns. The 2001 graduate of West Noble played basketball as a student and was an an assistant on the girls team for 13 years under Dale Marano, who retired at the end of this past season.

Although Burns took a year off from coaching, he says Marano gauged his interest in taking over the girls basketball program going forward.

"He's one of the most dedicated people I’ve been around," Burns reflects on Marano. "Seeing his dedication first-hand: what it takes, what you should put for to get results. Everything for him revolved something larger than sports. He wanted to created that family atmosphere.”

Burns and Marano were part of 178 wins, a regular season Northeast Corner Conference championship in 2009, an NECC Tournament title in 2015 and the program's first-ever sectional title in 2019. Burns' daughter, Lauren, was one of six seniors on that history-making squad two years ago.

"West Noble is proud to announce the hiring of Jeff," athletic director Tom Schemerhorn, who was Burns' boys basketball coach in high school, said. "He has been instrumental in the success of the girls program."

Burns finds West Noble's recent success has shifted expectations for his team, and says he intends to help live up those expectations of the community.

"The fans are great," he adds. "You go around town, and people know who you are. They’re genuine, they want to know about the kids, and how you did the night before."

West Noble is one of 26 high schools that partners with Parkview Sports Medicine for athletic training, nutrition, sports performance, athletic rehab and other sports medicine services for Charger student-athletes. Learn more at www.parkviewsportsmedicine.com.