Brubaker, Truckers aiming to reach strong potential

PERKINS TWP. — So far, so good — but it can always be better. That's the early vibe for Norwalk girls basketball under new head coach Kyle Brubaker as the Truckers spend June learning their new leader. They've played well. He also knows just how much upside they have. "We're always thinking about our potential," Brubaker said. "The potential with this group is big. You see the progress, see the good things, and we're really looking for high-level things consistently to get closer to that potential that they have." Norwalk put together a strong Friday at Midwest Live, a recruiting event at Cedar Point Sports Center. The Truckers won both their games — 35-22 over Canfield and 43-31 over Olentangy Orange. "It's going fantastic," Brubaker said. "Obviously, there's a lot to work with. They've been working really well with the program we've put together for them, doing some things they haven't done in the past. Attitudes are great. Work ethic is great. It's been everything I've wanted so far." Brubaker has taken over for Brock Manlet, who was the winningest coach in girls program history. Brubaker was on the boys staff and has inherited a strong roster. Norwalk will start a senior backcourt of Abby Koenig and Kenzie Smith, both of whom have started their entire careers. "It's kind of poetic, because when I was a senior point guard, I had a brand new head coach," Brubaker said. "Now I walk into that situation with senior guards." The depth is immense across the rest of the roster. The frontcourt includes talents like Emmie Leber, Lucy Schlotterer, Alyssa Gruhlke and Delaney Illuzzi. Trinity Lazzara's offense and Shyla Gruhlke's defenses are assets as additional guards. Norwalk could also potentially incorporate new varsity pieces like forward Emma Gebhardt and guards Audryn Ott and CJ Bennett. "It's a great spot to be in," Brubaker said. "... We're deep. We can play a lot of people. We're gonna need a lot of people, and we're excited to see them stepping into their roles." Norwalk is coming off a 17-7 season, although the Truckers couldn't make it past the sectional final round a year after going to the regional final. With their talent, they'll be aiming big once again. "It's definitely an adjustment a lot of us will have to make," Koenig said. "His coaching style is similar to coach Manlet's. It's a big adjustment, but I feel like we're doing well. I like him a lot so far." On Friday at Midwest Live, Leber led Norwalk in scoring with 23 points across the two games, both of which were played with 18-minute halves of running clock. Koenig had 21 combined points. Alyssa Gruhlke scored eight first-half points in the win over Canfield. Lazzara put up 12, including a sweet spin-cycle bucket, to help beat Olentangy Orange, the 23rd-largest school in the state. "Today for us offensively was an uphill battle," Brubaker said. "We're at the peak of our busy June. Could be a bit of tired legs and tired minds. Nothing came easy, but we still came away with two double-digit wins. In the course of a 22-game season, not everything is gonna come easy to you, and you've got to find a way." Brubaker has tried to put his own spin on things while not changing too much. Norwalk's players have adjusted well, already having a built-in belief in one another through multiple years of winning games together. "We still have the chemistry," Koenig said. "A few things are different, but we've adjusted very well, and we still have that bond and chemistry from last year." The Truckers will be back at Midwest Live on Saturday afternoon to take on Massillon Perry and Solon, two more large schools. "It's really cool," Koenig said. "Definitely playing better teams is getting us a lot better." This weekend has provided the perfect combination for Norwalk — another chance to become more in sync with a new head coach while also seeing a level of opponent that will allow the Truckers to reach their ceiling in the long run. It's still a long way from Brubaker's official debut along the Norwalk girls basketball sideline, but he and the Truckers are already pointing toward great things. "That's the whole goal here is to be able to handle adversity and see good competition," Brubaker said. "... We're hoping to see more and more situations and learn from them."