The second time was the charm for Greenwood’s new girls basketball coach.
Justin Bennett applied for the job in 2015 after Debbie Guckenberger left after 12 seasons to coach at Brownsburg, but at that point in his career he wasn’t considered a viable candidate.
This time he was.
“I was privileged to even be called in and interviewed for that job,” said Bennett, 38, who was named Greenwood’s new coach in June. “I’ve always been very fond of Greenwood having been to their gym a number of times. (Athletic director Rob) Irwin called me and I was really honored.”
Bennett worked at Indianapolis International, a Class A program, the past three seasons as the boys coach. Prior to that, he led the girls program at Indianapolis Marshall for two years (2012-14) and at Cascade in 2014-15.
He becomes the third Woodmen girls coach in as many years, succeeding Lee Taft (2015-17) and Bill Torgerson (2017-18).
However, if anyone can sympathize with the upperclassmen in Greenwood’s girls basketball program the changes they’ve endured, it’s their new coach. As a 6-foot-4 shooting guard growing up in Decatur, Illinois, Bennett played for three different head coaches in four seasons (1994-98).
Bennett will be a lay coach at Greenwood. Since 2004, he’s worked at the Indiana Department of Corrections in Indianapolis, where he’s currently a corrections case manager.
The coach has great respect for Woodmen seniors Bailee Taft and Kristin Whobrey for their willingness to remain with the program through so much change. Another senior, point guard Sarah DeCastro, started her career at Greenwood, transferred to Whiteland as a junior and is back with the Woodmen.
“I want to make sure this year is special for our seniors,” Bennett said.
The past two seasons have been difficult for Greenwood, which is 15-32 over that time. Bennett, who inherits a program with one winning season in its last five, likes the fact that 18 to 24 players show up every time there’s an open gym.
“As a coach I’ve always hung my hat on defense. We want to create a lot of offense through our defense. It’s going to be a lot of fun to watch,” Bennett said. “I’m also a very big person on culture and that it show in our play.
“We play for each other. If you do the small things, the wins will come.”
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Justin Bennett
Age: 38
Born: Decatur, Illinois
Family: Wife Leta; daughters Jaelyn and Jocelyn, 19; sons Lanard, 14, and Jase, 10
High school: Stephen Decatur (1998)
College: Greenville University (2002)
Major: Sociology
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