Coaches and Coaching Philosphy

WESTERN DUBUQUE BOYS BASKETBALL COACHING STAFF

Grady Gallagher - Coach Gallagher is originally from Moville, IA, graduated from Woodbury Central High School in 2011. Attended Buena Vista University, played basketball and graduated in 2015 with a degree in Business Education and Coaching. Stared teaching and coaching in 2015 at Central Dewitt High School in Dewitt, IA. Coached football, basketball, track and baseball at various levels and was the Head Boys Basketball Coach from 2018-2021. Married to Paige (Kluesner) Gallagher and daughter Annie was born May 2020 and Wells was born in October 2021.

Hunter Westhoff - Coach Westhoff is a 2012 graduate of Western Dubuque High School. He graduated from Wartburg College in 2016 with a degree in Elementary Education where he also played football and baseball. Currently, he teaches 8th grade science at Drexler Middle School. He has coached various levels of football, basketball, track, and baseball for the district during his time. Coach Westhoff is married to his wife Tara, and they live in Epworth.

Ryan Kremer - Coach Kremer is in his 5th year coaching basketball. He coached Freshman for 3 years and has been at the Sophomore level the last two years. Coach Kremer is a Western Dubuque graduate.

Sean Buerger - Coach Buerger is in his 5th year coaching basketball, all at the freshman level. Coach Buerger is a Western Dubuque graduate.

Nick Rosenow - Coach Rosenow is in his 1st year coaching basketball and will be a Freshman coach. Coach Rosenow is a Western Dubuque graduate.

Coaching Philosophy

Our philosophy as a high school basketball coaches and teachers involve three primary goals. The first is to develop quality relationships with our student-athletes. The second is to teach our players the value of being an accountable member of an effective team. The third is to make it a positive, meaningful experience and provide opportunities for our athletes to acquire knowledge of the game of basketball, and refine their skills. When we focus on those goals, use each day to improve, and follow high standards and expectations; we will be successful together.

Basketball can teach many things our students may not learn in the classroom. Teamwork, leadership, self-discipline, and self-respect are all qualities every member of our team can achieve through hard work, commitment, and enthusiasm. We will do our best to develop each student-athletes' full potential, both on and off the court. Instead of having numerous rules within our program, I encourage all involved to live up to our high expectations and use each day to improve. Being prepared and on time, doing the best in the classroom, participating in community service, and representing our program with dignity and pride are extremely important. Keeping our gym, locker room, weight room, and school clean helps us represent the best school in our state. Being honest, upfront, and communicating with our coaches and teammates builds the necessary trust for us to be successful. Our value is not measured in playing time, but instead maximizing our role and duties on the team. There is a collective responsibility amongst everyone involved in our program to care and respect, not only each other, but also for the game and our opponents.

Skill development and fundamentals are the building blocks of how we will play. Both will be constantly drilled during the season at practice and in our offseason workouts. Playing the game together and hard every possession will supplement our awareness of the different and meaningful situations. Possessing the confidence, poise, and flexibility to handle any circumstance will be evident in our performance. We have what it takes to win, and will do the dirty work like playing good defense, getting after loose basketballs, and helping our teammates up off the floor. We’ll play fast but under control on both offense and defense, and we’ll try to expose our opponent’s weaknesses in our multiple schemes. We’ll play with pride, we’ll value each possession, we’ll slap high-fives, and we’ll have the time of our lives. We can’t wait to get started.

Lastly, members of our program, both current and graduates, will be a larger part of our extended family. Through good sportsmanship from our teams and an active involvement from our alumni, our youth will understand their role of growing, developing, and reciprocating. Like most families, conflicts will occur. We all need to be supportive and proactive, and communicate to face these problems head on. We are all Bobcats!

Thanks!