Alum Jennings to head Norwood girls hoop

With so many former Giles Parker disciples roaming the sidelines across Massachusetts, it only makes sense that Norwood High would pluck another as his replacement.

With Parker retiring as head coach of the Mustang girls basketball team after an extremely successful 35-year tenure this past winter, Norwood recently tabbed former Mustang star Maureen Jennings take over the program’s reins.

“It’s always been a dream of mine, but especially in Norwood,” said Jennings of her first head varsity job. “I know that might sound corny to some people but when it was coaching other places I always wanted to come back here and when the opportunity arose it was just a dream come true.”

Jennings graduated from Norwood in 1993 and went on to play at UMass-Lowell. Her early coaching career took her from local AAU posts to assistant jobs at Braintree High and Wheaton College before returning to her hometown to coach the Mustang junior varsity the last two years.

Following Parker’s announcement, Norwood athletic director Brian McDonough put together a search committee of himself, boys varsity basketball coach Rich Cormier and Jim Reen, president of the Norwood Basketball Association to select the new coach. With what McDonough termed as six highly-qualified candidates to choose from, the committee conducted four interviews and made Jennings their choice.

“She got great recommendations from (former Westwood coach) Bill Riley and, of course, Giles, and she did a great job on the interview answering all of our questions,” said McDonough of Jennings. “She played at a high level at UMass-Lowell, knows the game very well and worked very well with the youth program, and she was what we were looking for as far as the whole school community and athletic program as far as developing the long and short term goals of the program.”

Jennings knows that it won’t be easy becoming the first new girls basketball coach in Norwood in three-and-half decades. Parker not only amassed 462 wins, 12 Bay State League/Conference division titles and four South sectional crowns in his stay on Nichols Street but spouted a number of coaching protégés, including current varsity mentors Kristen Cieri (Wellesley), Danielle Chaisson (Natick), Andrea Dixon (Medway) as well as Stonehill College women’s boss Trish Brown.

“It’s a large footprint to fill, obviously there is a huge tradition of great teams I am just hoping that tradition will follow,” said Jennings. “Giles installed that Mustang pride in me, I think I learned a lot from him as both a player and a coach.”

One thing that should make the transition to head coach easier is her familiarity with the personnel and the program. She also quite familiar with the fact that the Mustangs fan base expects a winner.

“I think the fact I’m from the hometown, I know the Norwood parents and the know the Norwood way gives me an advantage, but knowing the Norwood parents and the Norwood way can be a double-edged sword,” laughed Jennings.

They are also hungry for one since Norwood has made the just one tournament appearance the past five seasons since reaching the sectional semifinals in 2003.

Jennings, who said that a strong emphasis on fundamentals at all levels is her No. 1 priority, loses six seniors from last year’s 4-14 squad, including three starters, but will have two of the league’s most talent juniors in returning All-Star Emily Dixon and Stephanie Perry, who missed most of last winter with a wrist injury.

But with Division 2 state champion Wellesley, and the last two Herget champs Walpole and Dedham all bringing back large chunks of their roster in the division, it won’t be an easy maiden voyage.

 “We are going to have to work hard to make a name for ourselves,” said Jennings. “It used to be that you walked into a gym people would say, say uh-oh, we are playing Norwood but that fear isn’t there anymore. It’s not going to be an instant process, it’s going to take some patience and the girls are going to have to fill their roles, but I think these girls have it in them to get that back.”