Although Morgan Warfield has been juggling schoolwork and sports schedules all her life, beginning her coaching career midseason was an unexpected twist.
A year after finishing a record-breaking career in basketball and softball at Siena Heights University, Warfield jumped into her first assistant coaching job midway through the Hillsdale College women’s basketball team’s season.
Warfield works as a reading assistant for kindergarten through third grade students at Camden-Frontier Schools during the day and commutes to Hillsdale for practices and games. She said she works behind the scenes, scouting opposing teams, watching game film, and organizing travel itineraries.
“I’ve learned so much already,” Warfield said. “It’s really broadened my basketball philosophy. I have great mentors in Todd Mitmesser and Matt Hilkens. We work toward getting better as coaches every day, which helps the players get better too.”
When a member of the Chargers’ coaching staff moved home partway through the season, assistant coach Matt Hilkens recommended Warfield, a standout player from his previous assistant coaching job at Siena Heights University.
Warfield graduated from Siena Heights University in 2015 with a degree in elementary education. But Warfield earned a lot more than a teaching degree at Siena Heights.
In her four years as a starter in both basketball and softball, Warfield collected an impressive list of personal records, including all-time top-10 in total points, field goals made, steals, assists, rebounds, and
minutes played. She was also selected for the WHAC All-Academic Team four times, twice each for basketball and softball.
These personal records led to team success as well, said Sue Syljebeck, Warfield’s head basketball coach at Siena Heights.
“Siena Heights had one season that we won 20 games since 1975, and we won over 20 games each of her four seasons,” Syljebeck said. “I think she was responsible for 95 wins in her four seasons here.”
Syljebeck said Warfield’s success can be traced to her dedication to the game.
“Her key was just her work ethic, her drive to be good and make herself better and our team better,” Syljebeck said. “She committed herself year-round. She was in the gym every day in the summer for an hour to two hours a day.”
Warfield said time in the gym as a young player helped her compete with other players.
“My mom started head coaching at Camden when I was two,” Warfield said. “Since I was an only child, I went where my parents went. So I guess I was a gym rat. I was there every day.”
Since Warfield recently played college basketball herself, the team can relate to their new coach, junior Becca Scherting said.
“She knows what we’re going through when we have tough game, or after a tough practice. It’s a different mentality from a coach. She knows how the players feel because she was in that position.”
Warfield said coaching women so close to her in age sometimes seems strange.
“But it’s nice having that connectedness to the girls,” Warfield said. “Being fresh out of college, I just went through what they’re going through. It’s crazy and it goes so fast – I can relate to that.”
Scherting said Warfield’s day job carries over into her coaching style in basketball games.
“She encourages you on the bench,” Scherting said. “It’s very uplifting, like a teacher is. When we had our tough shooting game last Saturday, she said stuff like, ‘You guys need to start using your legs more, but don’t stop shooting.’ So I see that as one of her big strengths, is being a coach and a teacher.”
Warfield said she tries to encourage her team to take advantage of the opportunity to play college sports, just as she took the chance to become a coach in the middle of the season.
“I want players to have a sense of urgency,” Warfield said. “I don’t think they take what they have here for granted, but I want them to work hard for what they want. If you want it, go get it.”