photo credit: Orange athletic coaches
As Pioneer sports kick off for the new school year, some new faces are getting added to the mix. The Orange family welcomed four new coaches: Andi Henry, Nathan Nelson, Karman Graham and Tony Diaz.
Andi Henry:
Andi Henry is the new girls lacrosse head coach. She graduated from Olentangy Berlin in 2020, and she played college lacrosse at both Kent State and Capital University. Henry is coming into this new position with the mindset of giving back to the game she loves.
“Coaching is my way of giving back to the sport that has given me so much. It also allows me to share not only the knowledge I’ve gained over the years from an athlete’s perspective but also the passion I have for lacrosse, in hopes of inspiring and developing the next generation of players,” Henry said.
Henry has many lacrosse achievements including being First Team All Conference and an Honorable Mention All-American. The lacrosse experience that she possesses is what led her to implement new coaching strategies into the high school’s program.
“One major addition will be spending more time in the classroom studying film. This is a beneficial way to help players understand the game at a deeper level, which will improve their decision-making, field awareness and lacrosse IQ,” Henry said.
Tony Diaz:
Tony Diaz is the new boys soccer head coach. He played college soccer with Ohio Dominican, and he spent the next five years after college coaching with The Crew in their Youth Development Program learning a wide variety of techniques.
“It was definitely a unique transition. The old coaching staff had been with Orange for as long as I can remember. So to have a new coaching staff with a different system and views, everyone had a clean slate and that motivated everyone to work hard and show the new coaches their abilities,” senior varsity soccer player Jakob Ames said.
He only played on the Ohio Dominican team for two years because he suffered a knee injury. He was then retained on the staff where he had valuable coaching experience that he took with him to New Albany and Westerville South before bringing that experience to Orange.
“I utilize many exercises, drills, concepts that I’ve learned over the years, both as a former high school and college player as well as things I’ve learned and observed working with other coaches. From there I assess our biggest areas of opportunity and am always looking at how and where we can improve as a group and focus on those themes or principles,” Diaz said.
Karmen Graham:
Karmen Graham is the new girls varsity basketball head coach. Graham is a former coach and alumni from Northern Kentucky University. Not only has she coached Division I basketball at the college level, but she also worked in Human Resources and corporate recruiting as a director, and now serves as an intervention aide. She will use that experience to help her lead the Pioneers to victory.
“I want our team to play the game by reading situations and making smart decisions throughout the course of play. At the same time, I want us to bring energy, zip and pop to every moment of competition,” Graham said.
Coaching is a major responsibility because not only is the coach leading a team, they are also responsible for athletes and how they grow throughout the season. Graham’s goal for the season is to show the toughness of her players.
“For us to continue growing and developing. I want people who watch us play to walk away saying, ‘Wow, that team is tough and gritty,’” Graham said.
Nathan Nelson:
Nathan Nelson is the new boys lacrosse varsity head coach, and he is coming with over 12 years of experience in the OCC as a head coach and defensive coordinator at Westerville North High School. This experience will be very beneficial to the Pioneers both on and off the field as they start their season.
“I feel that my passion for the sport and the students makes me a great fit for this coaching job. Along with coaching, I am also a teacher in Westerville. I not only want to see my players succeed on the field but in the classroom as well,” Nelson said.
According to Max Preps, boys varsity lacrosse ended its season 15-3 and Nelson explains the goals for the upcoming season.
“My goals for this year’s team is to continue to build off the success of last year’s team, win the OCC and do well in the state tournament,” Nelson said.
