GALION — Galion High School has a new girls varsity basketball coach. Nick Vukovich received approval from the Galion City School District board of education during its meeting Tuesday evening.
Vukovich, 34, comes to Galion after two seasons as head coach at Ridgemont High School in Ridgeway, Hardin County. He took over a Lady Gophers program in 2013 that was 0-23 the year before he arrived. Ridgemont finished 5-18 in his first season and 3-20 in 2014-15.
At Galion, Vukovich replaces Bryce Lehman, who spent two seasons in charge of the girls varsity program. The Lady Tigers finished 3-19 in 2014-15 after posting a record of 4-19 in 2013-14.
“A lot of coaches in the (Mid Ohio Athletic Conference) that I keep in contact with had a lot of positive things to say about Galion,” Vukovich said. “That kind of made me excited to pursue that job. I always thought if I got the opportunity I’d like to coach in the MOAC. It’s nice to be back home, so to speak.”
Vukovich is quite familiar with the MOAC. He is a 1999 graduate of Cardington-Lincoln High School where he played varsity basketball. Prior to coaching at Ridgemont, Vukovich was the eighth-grade girls coach for one season at Cardington-Lincoln.
It’s been a whirlwind week for Vukovich. He was interviewed June 12, was offered the position on June 13 and then hired by the board of education on June 16. Vukovich said he and new Galion athletic director Kyle Baughn are scheduled to meet again on Monday and then the new coach will meet his team on Tuesday. He knows the summer will be very busy.
“I haven’t really had a chance to sit down and break down film yet,” Vukovich said. “I’m trying to get my hands on film from last year so I can look at the areas that they struggle in and start devising a plan of attack so we can make those weaknesses some of our strengths.”
Vukovich, who lives near Fredericktown, completed his undergraduate degree at Ohio State University in 2005 and is currently enrolled in graduate school at the University of Findlay. He has served as a substitute teacher for the past two years.
