It’ll be a historic night inside the Aplington-Parkersburg gym when the Falcon basketball teams host Grundy Center Tuesday. The father/son duo of Aaron Thomas and Owen Thomas will have their first meeting as head coaches of their respective programs.
AP Coach Aaron Thomas says he feels great pride seeing his son become a head coach, and compliments the surrounding support system.
“I’ve been there a few games as a fan, and a couple of the Grundy people like to ask ‘Are you here scouting or are you just a supportive dad?’ when I’ve been able to go watch him through those games. But obviously now this week, I’ve turned the attention, and a lot of extra scouting maybe has gone. But he’s done a really good job with his program. I compliment the Grundy Center Community Schools for just welcoming him in. Coach Thoren and Coach Zinkula, have been nothing but great for him. Matt Lindeman, such a great athletic director and the girls coach. So he has some really good support pieces in place for him at Grundy Center. And I think the kids have bought into what he’s doing, and his youthful enthusiasm is rubbing off, and they’ve got a really good team with a lot of good pieces. I’m very proud of what he’s got going there in his year one as a head coach.”
Grundy Center Coach Owen Thomas looks forward to not only coaching against his dad, but also against his brother Trevan, a senior on AP’s team.
“More than anything, it’s gonna be a cool opportunity for our guys,” Owen Thomas says. “I guarantee you that gym’s gonna be packed out. I’m just excited, first time experience coaching against my dad and against my brother who starts, so that’ll be a super cool experience. I’m really hoping we come away with a W.”
On the court, it’ll be a battle of ranked teams. The #9 (2A) Falcons are in the rankings for the first time this season after five straight wins to start January. The #6 (2A) Spartans will put their undefeated record on the line.
In the girls game, the Falcons will look to snap a two-game losing streak, dropping games to #5 (2A) Denver and Hudson last week. #10 (2A) Grundy Center has won five straight, mostly in blowout fashion.
The games will air on 99 The Wave and RadioOnTheGo’s YouTube channel. Pregame coverage will start at 6:00 p.m., followed by the tipoff at 6:15.
