Alexandria’s Wendy Kohler, second winningest girls basketball coach in state history, retires

After 40 years at the helm of the Alexandria girls basketball program, during which she became the state’s second all-time winningest coach in the sport, Wendy Kohler is retiring.

She ends her coaching career with a record of 728-316 and winning percentage of .697.

Kohler said she hasn’t lost her competitive drive, and the longtime Cardinals mentor isn’t “walking away from anything.” Instead, she’s “walking towards new things” and plans on “spending days with my family, grandchildren and having the time in my life to do that.”

Kohler guided the Cardinals to all 14 of their state tournament appearances, including winning their lone state championship in Class 3A in 1997. Half of those state tournament appearances came after 2017.

“I can look in the mirror and honestly say I have poured every ounce of love, dedication, passion, energy and competitive spirit into our girls,” Kohler said. “Relationship-based coaching, changing young girls into strong young women, never giving up and always showing up. I have always tried my very best and never taken anything lightly or for granted.”

In Kohler’s first season in 1985, the Cardinals went 6-11. Since then, the Cardinals only finished below the .500 mark six other times.

“I’ve tried to teach to our standards, preparing, personalizing each person and team,” Kohler said. “It’s hard because I still have that competitive drive, energy and DNA but I have more of my days behind me than I do in front of me, so I want to pour that drive into my inner circle of family. I will miss [the team’s] energy, smiles, tears, synergy and electricity that they bring to the gym every day. They always showed up and did their best and to that I am deeply blessed with gratitude. We have special young people here in our community. I will treasure all of the relationships and memories of the past teams and present and miss the future relationships. They are special.”

Kohler guided the Cardinals to back-to-back third-place finishes in the state tournament the past two years. They finished fourth three years ago.

“I don’t know if anyone really loves the Cardinals more than I do because no one else has been here as long as I have,” Kohler said. “I will leave here having coached in five decades … crazy. The world has changed but the constant is the girls.”

She only trails Mike Dreier of New-London Spicer in career wins. Dreier is still guiding the Wildcats and has won 1,095 games.

“To all of the young women past, present and future, numbers are numbers, but relationships are infinite,” Kohler said. “I am thankful and always have the deepest of gratitude. God has blessed me richly on this journey and I am thankful.”