It’s fitting and poetic that this is the time that Sparta girls basketball coach Catherine Wille would want to go out.
Leaving with a senior class that’s brought so much success to the program over their careers.
It’s the end of an 11-year head coaching journey for Wille, which saw her take over a Spartans program that struggled before her tenure started.
Wille stepped down as Sparta’s coach earlier last week, and what better way to go out than with a senior class that she considers the best the program’s ever had.
The senior class includes Bailey Chapman, Brynn McCurry, Mason Munier, Rylee Munier and Ally Sweeney, which took Sparta to another level during their careers, posting an 87-18 record, winning the Group 3 championship and reaching the Tournament of Champions semifinals during their junior seasons.
The record-breaking core won three Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament championships and took Sparta to two other North 1, Group 3 sectional finals and went 14-1 during the pandemic-shortened season in 2021.
They never wanted to play for another coach during their high school careers, even when the group had the chance to play at multiple Non-Public schools before getting to Sparta.
And Wille, who called the class “The Fab Five” has enjoyed every moment with them.
“It was a hard decision. I don’t know if it would ever be easy, but the timing right now, it really has been the greatest run ever. It’s a good time to go out,” Wille told NJ Advance Media.
Wille, 55, said she thinks this might be it for her coaching career. She plans to continue teaching at least another year at Sparta, where she’s been teaching at for three decades, and help the new coach transition smoothly into the role.
She sat down before the season started and evaluated if this season was going to be her last year and let the team know she was stepping away following their banquet, which honored the team and the senior class.
“The senior group of girls have brought excitement back to Sparta high School girls basketball,” Sparta athletic director Steven Stoner said via email. “Coach Wille let me know that she was stepping down, but wanted to do it the right way. She did not want to take anything away from the girls and their celebrations/accomplishments. She waited until the season was fully over and the banquet had been had. She met with the girls to let them know.”
Stoner added the position will be advertised next week and then the interviewing process for candidates will begin afterward.
Wille, who is an alum and played at Wake Forest, became Sparta’s head coach during the 2012-13 season, a year after she served as a volunteer assistant under former coach Fred Geffken. Sparta went 11-13 during Wille’s first season at the helm, and the Spartans hovered around .500 over the next few years.
Things started to change during the 2016-17 season, where Sparta went 17-9, having a run of success for a couple of years. The success went to another level when the current graduating class entered the program during the 2019-20 season.
The rest is history.
“I wanted to make sure I did right by this senior class,” Wille said. “It kind of had been in my mind like, ‘All right, there’s a four-year window I want to make things happen.’ So I dove in, and I feel like we did a great job of accomplishing a lot of those goals. ... It was an honor, it was a lot of pressure, but it was an honor, and I couldn’t be (happier) with how things turned out.”
“I’ve not seen a coach, and I’ve played a lot of coaches, that really put the individual before the game, and really understanding each individual,” said assistant coach Meghan Jent, who coached with Wille during her 11-year tenure. “What makes them tick and what do they need mentally and physically, and how do you do that one by one and put it all together to encompass a whole of a team. And she spends a lot of time doing that with these girls.”
The senior class had three 1,000-point scorers in Sweeney (1,531), McCurry (1,350) and Chapman (1,081). Sweeney was a two-time NJ.com All-State selection, garnering Third Team honors during her junior season and First Team honors this winter.
McCurry, who missed her senior year because of a knee injury, was a First-Team selection during her junior season, and Chapman was a Third Team All-Group 3 selection this season.
“I always said to myself that I don’t want to hang around just to hang around,” Wille said. “I was really proud of the fact that we were able to make a statement for the past four years, and this is a really good time to exit. It worked for them, but it also worked out for me.
“It’s poetic for me as well.”
The N.J. High School Sports newsletter now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now and be among the first to get all the boys and girls sports you care about, straight to your inbox each weekday. To add your name, click here.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.
You can reach Luis Torres at ltorres@njadvancemedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter @ByLuisTorres.
Ad Choices