Webber is Warren’s basketball choice

Although Ryan Webber looks the part of a young coach, he certainly doesn’t have the resume of one.

Webber, a fresh-faced 32-year-old who may not be able to grow a 5-o’clock shadow as fast as some of his players, was named Warren’s new boys basketball head coach Tuesday night at District 121’s school board meeting.

He was the first to point out that looks can be deceiving.

“Even though I’m young,” Webber said, “I have a ton of experience, a wide range of experience. And I’ve been in situations where I’ve been successful. I bring a lot of energy and passion for the game.”

The now-former Moline coach, who applied for the Warren job about a month ago, was introduced at the meeting by athletic director Mark Pos, who guided the committee that searched for a replacement for longtime coach Chuck Ramsey. In 2007, Ramsey retired from his teaching position at Warren and decided at that time that the 2011-12 season, which wound up resulting in a trip to the supersectional back in March, would be his last as head coach of the Blue Devils.

Pos pointed out that Webber’s experience gave him an edge over the more than 50 other coaches who applied for the job, a job that was widely considered the most coveted opening in the state of Illinois.

“When Ryan first walked in (to the initial interview), I think we all took a step back and said, ‘Oh my gosh,’” said Pos, referring to how young Webber looks. “You look at his resume and say, ‘Really?’ But then, as you listened to him talk, you realized he has such a good grip on everything. He knows his basketball, he has a sense of what he needs to do to keep us successful and most of all, he’s already been successful.

“Wherever Ryan has gone, he’s been successful. He was a successful sophomore coach, a successful varsity coach at two different schools. Before he got to Moline (four years ago), he was at Byron and took a team that didn’t even have double-digit wins the season before he got there to the supersectional two years later. I don’t care how you look at it, that tells you he knows what’s he’s doing. I don’t think that’s luck.”

Speaking of good fortune, Webber, who won nearly 150 games in his seven years as a head coach at both Moline and Byron combined, is thanking his lucky stars that he got the Warren job.

With an enrollment of more than 4,400 students, the talent pool at Warren is as vast as the basketball tradition is strong.

During Ramsey’s 19-year tenure as head coach, the Blue Devils won more than 20 games per season en route to 10 North Suburban Conference titles, 14 regionals and 7 sectional championships. Warren also has finished second in the state twice since 1999.

“A lot of people I know, people all over the place, view this as a Top 5 job in the state,” said Webber, a father of two young girls who attended the board meeting with his wife Megan. “I’m very fortunate, very lucky, to have even been considered for it.

“I know we have big shoes to fill. Coach Ramsey has done an excellent job. We’re just trying to add on to the tradition in a program that has already been built.”

Webber, who guided Moline to a 23-9 record last season, will meet with all of the players in the Warren program today after school to introduce himself, and his style. He says he’s a defense-first coach who is a fan of up-tempo basketball but also loves to strategize in the half-court.

“I think I’m an innovator offensively as far as coming up with different sets and a style that fits who we have personnel-wise,” Webber said. “I feel like I’m very open-minded when it comes to what the players have to offer. I think the players will dictate what we do on both ends of the ball. Their talents will be something we try to bring out.”

Webber, who played varsity basketball at Galesburg High School before getting his teaching degree from Western Illinois, will teach physical education at Warren.

“This is not only such a beautiful community, but the schools are so great here,” Webber said. “The more and more research my wife and I did, the more we thought it was a great place to raise a family. When you add in that it’s one of the top basketball jobs in the state, this was something we really wanted to go after. I’m just really excited to get started.”