'I will give them everything I have': New Green Bay Southwest girls basketball coach plans to stick with program
Corey Girdaukas is aware of the coaching turnover in recent years when it comes to the Green Bay Southwest girls basketball program, but the Trojans’ newest leader is undaunted by the task in front of him after recently being hired by the school.
He doesn’t sugarcoat his feelings, which means he won’t have any fear telling his players what they are doing well and what they need to work on. Parents can approach him any time they want with concerns, and he might just tell them what they are doing right and what they need to work on, too.
“I don’t want to be that guy who maybe we are .500 but I’m going to look for somewhere else,” Girdaukas said. “I don’t want to do that. It’s a pain in the butt. I’m not looking to go anywhere but Southwest. … Southwest has always been a very competitive, a very scrappy, a kind of tough team that you are going to have to beat us. I want to continue that kind of nasty defense and get after them and make it rough.”
Perhaps Girdaukas can stop the revolving door of coaches and offer some much-needed stability for the Trojans.
It started last May when Jacob Polfus replaced Berri West, who stepped down after three seasons.
That tenure only lasted a few weeks after Polfus backed out to take a college opening. Southwest turned to Tony Lee, a 1992 graduate and former boys assistant coach.
Lee spent one season with the Trojans before stepping down, leading to another coaching search.
“A good, positive energy moving forward with the Green Bay Southwest girls basketball program,” Southwest athletic director Amy Hogan said. “He has experience in handling youth programs, which I’m also excited about.”
Girdaukas has coached several AAU and youth girls teams during his career.
He was an assistant for the Sheboygan Lutheran boys under Nick Verhagen for five seasons — he helped them win the WIAA Division 5 state title in 2019 — before landing his first varsity head coaching job with the Two Rivers girls in 2022-23.
Two Rivers went 3-21 last season. Despite his tenure with the program lasting just one year, there was no animosity toward the administration and Girdaukas.
Girdaukas said the two simply had different visions for the future, and he was confident he would find another job.
Southwest was the first opening he applied for, and even though others eventually came calling, he liked what he learned after doing his homework on the program and interviewing at the school.
One of the things he found is that while the Southwest youth program is fine, it can be better. It’s something he has a strong desire to help develop.
Corey Girdaukas wants to win now
As much as he has an eye on the future of the program, he also has high expectations for the present. Girdaukas lives in Manitowoc and is knowledgeable about all the squads in the 10-team Fox River Classic Conference.
He knows as the three-time defending D2 state champion that Notre Dame is the “Darth Vader” of the conference just like the Lutheran boys were during their dominating run.
He is aware of how good De Pere has been and will be, and that Bay Port always will be dangerous even with the occasional down year.
But he expects his squad not only to be competitive, but to contend for conference championships.
The Trojans went 15-10 last season and finished winning eight of their final 12, but it’s going to be a big task to compete with the top squads.
Girdaukas is counting on point guard Addie Pytleski to build off a strong junior campaign and become an even bigger leader after averaging 15.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3 assists last season.
It will be even more important with the graduation of guard-forwards Margie Stevens and Taliah DeGroot and the 17.8 points the duo combined to average.
The Trojans lost two meetings to Notre Dame last season by 46 points and 49 points, although every conference team got completely crushed in their games against the Tritons.
“I don’t care what team it is, why can’t you compete for a conference championship?” Girdaukas said. “That should be your first goal. When the playoffs start, it’s the old cliché, everyone is 0-0.
“But everyone knows who the big dogs are. … I want to compete for a conference championship. Why would I be afraid of (Notre Dame coach) Sara Rhode? She is a great coach, she has a great team. What do we have to lose? If we get beat by 20, everyone is going to say, ‘I told you so.’ But if they say we are a tough out and gave us everything we can handle, I will take that.”
MORE: John Polkowski steps down as Green Bay Southwest boys basketball coach after 10 years
Corey Girdaukas will make sacrifices to coach at Southwest
Girdaukas, who soon will turn 52, will make the 40-mile drive from Manitowoc to Green Bay for more than just practices and games.
He believes, especially since he won’t be teaching at the school, that it’s important to show his face at other athletic events and to support all the kids at Southwest.
Two of his three children have graduated high school. His youngest son, Nolan, will be a senior at Sheboygan Lutheran and is supportive of his father coaching even though he might miss some games during the football and basketball seasons.
“Southwest is worth it,” Girdaukas said. “I will give them everything I have. I have two healthy kidneys, and if they want one and it gets me to the sectionals, I will be more than happy to give them a kidney.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay Southwest hires Corey Girdaukas as girls basketball coach
