By: J. Daniel Pearson
Positively Osceola
Too often, a great coach is only defined by total wins and championships won. But in reality, it goes a lot deeper than that. Great coaches understand that they are teachers first, louder is not always better, and true success doesn’t always come with trophies. When you understand this, it’s easy to put St. Cloud girls basketball coach Chad Ansbaugh in the outstanding coach category.
Now in his 16th year as head of the Lady Bulldogs, the veteran coach has the numbers to back up the winning part. Heading into the current season, he has compiled a 273-137 record that has included eight 20-win seasons, seven OBC county championships, numerous district titles and several deep runs into the FHSAA Playoffs – including a Final Four Appearance and 29-3 record in 2019.
But when you listen to the veteran coach talk, you quickly realize that wins and championships are barely on his radar. More than anything else, Ansbaugh believes that helping each athlete reach their potential is the true purpose of a coach’s mission.
“The FHSAA’s creed is that high school athletics is foremost an extension of the classroom. Too many coaches, administrators and parents tend to forget that,” Ansbaugh says. Whether it is an ego thing with some coaches, a long-time history of success in an individual program or just pressure from the outside — winning often becomes paramount. I never believed that was the most important thing and if I ever start to think that way, I should be fired immediately.”
That attitude has not gone unnoticed from his boss.
“Coach Ansbaugh is, in my opinion, exactly what a high school coach should be,” Bulldog Athletics Director Bryan Smart says. “Year-in and year-out nobody gets more out of his players than he does. And yet, it’s never about him. It’s always about the players and his assistant coaches. Any school would be fortunate to have coaches like Chad.”
In many ways, Ansbaugh’s teacher first philosophy comes from the fact that he is also a student. When not on the court with his team, you can often find him in the gym watching the practices of the St. Cloud boys team and during the off-season he will be on outdoor practice fields of the other sports. The sole purpose for doing so is to gain knowledge.
“It’s unreal what I have been able to pick up watching other coaches,” Ansbaugh says. “Tommy (Bulldogs boys basketball coach Tommy Billiteri) is a great example. He’s just getting started in his coaching career, but I was amazed at how he runs his practices. He doesn’t waste time, he makes everything a competition and keeps all the players constantly involved. I’m a couple of decades older but I’ve been able to learn things from him.”
His demeanor as a coach and teacher was shaped by his background. A native of St. Cloud, Ansbaugh grew up poor, where self-reliance and having to work for what you wanted was the norm. “My parent were divorced. We were dirt poor. Although we didn’t have much, it was engrained in us early that you had to work for everything you want.”
Ansbaugh graduated from St. Cloud High in 1992 but didn’t earn his UCF degree for seven years as he needed to work full time in order to pay tuition. He often had two or three different jobs including welder, laborer and bartender to make ends meet. “It’s been my experience that kids that come from that background are able to find success. As a coach, you want them to know that improvement comes from how hard you are willing to work.”
One only needs to look at the current St. Cloud season to realize Ansbaugh practices what he preaches. His 2024-25 team went 19-9 and made it to the Regional Semifinals after upsetting number three seed Oak Ridge. Although the team averaged almost 20 wins over the last three seasons, he knew this year would be a struggle.
“We had four or five young players that came up in the system and should have been starters this year but they transferred and are starting for other schools now. On top of that we graduated almost 95% of our scoring and rebounding. I looked at the pre-season roster and honestly believed that there was a chance we would not win a game,” he said.
And although he has a habit of hymning and hawing about his team’s prospects each year before usually turning in a great season, reality struck early when his team lost its first seven games by an average score of 68-12 – which included a 93-6 loss to rival Gateway.
But what happened to St. Cloud in the final third of the season is exactly what makes Ansbaugh a special coach. He continued to teach and work with his team and they have responded with six wins in their last 10 games to finish with nine victories in the regular season.
“To be honest, this year has been the most fun I have had coaching in a long time,” Ansbaugh says. “What this team lacked in talent, they made up for with enthusiasm, hard work and dedication. They wanted to improve and they did. We are a much better team than we were at the beginning of the season, so although we are going to finish with a losing record, this has been a successful season.”
The fact that Ansbaugh, who always wanted to be a football coach, ended up a girls basketball coach was almost by accident. He was working as an assistant football coach when he was asked to take over Athletic Director duties at a time when the overall program was struggling.
“We have a pretty solid football program but almost all the other sports were not performing well. Harmony had just opened and they siphoned off a lot of our athletes and coaches were constantly complaining. I finally called a meeting and told them we needed to start dealing with reality and stop complaining. To make a point, I said I was willing to take over the struggling girls basketball program and turn it into a winner.”
After going 4-17 in his first season, he began to doubt his decision. “We weren’t very good, I didn’t feel I had any idea of what I was doing and felt I bit off more than I could chew trying to prove a point,” he said. “But fortunately we got some good athletes the following year and started winning.”
And although the winning has continued, Ansbaugh accepts little credit for it. He first to accept blame for losses, often starting his post-game comments with something about “the lousy coaching job I did tonight.”
The one thing he is proud is the dozens of his players that went on to play college basketball (six are currently playing) and the when one of his former players becomes a coach themselves.
Ansbaugh says what motivates him the most is watching his athletes grow as both players and individuals. “This year is a great example. I thought even winning a single game would be an accomplishment and these kids have nine. When you see the improvement from the beginning to the end of the season, you get excited about the potential for next year.”
