New Purdy Volleyball Coach Barry Wheeler has been coaching for nearly four decades at the club, high school and collegiate levels, and after retirement and a short stint at Amazon, he found his way to the Lady Eagles’ gym.
“The job was just open,” he said. “I left Oklahoma and found some things to do, working at Amazon and Pink Jeep in Branson. I was familiar with Purdy because of Randy Jurgensen, one of my club players a long time ago. I applied, and they said, ‘Why not?’” Originally from Michigan, Wheeler has a master’s in education and a master’s in sports medicine with 20 years as an athletic trainer alongside coaching. At Rochester University (formerly Rochester College), Wheeler won backto- back national titles in 1998 and 1999 in the National Small College Athletics Association, earning him a 2018 induction into the Rochester University Athletics Hall of Fame.
At the high school level, he won a Class 2 state title at Stockton in 2007, a school still similar in size to Purdy.
Wheeler has flown into the job with the Lady Eagles, initiating a summer workout schedule that had not always been kept prior to his arrival.
“They were used to doing nothing in the summer, so we practiced two times per week in July, and we did the play days in Cassville,” Wheeler said. “But, we don’t always have enough kids. I have nine on my list right now, but one is a transfer from Sarcoxie and has not moved yet, so I really only have eight.”
Though the team is small in numbers, Wheeler said that is advantageous in some ways.
“It’s like club in a sense with just a handful of players,” he said. “Each time we play, we get better, and they work hard. The softball players have a mentality from Coach V (Lori Videmschek) to get at it. It’s nice to have kids that understand that concept and not have to drive that in. Now, it’s just a matter of teaching skills and strategy.”
Practice sessions have mainly focused on ball control and pointing out strategy when the opportunity arises, Wheeler said.
“We hope to have 10 total with eight in the rotation, and I hope we can get all 10 in,” he said. “You might see some peculiar defenses because we are not that tall, so we may have to let them hit at us and dig it up.”
Wheeler said size will present a challenge, but the team’s work ethic can meet it.
Senior Rylee Stanford is one of the leaders on the floor, Wheeler said, and players like Zoey Webb, Gracie Patton and Brooklyn Bunch are shining in the summer.
“Riley is extremely athletic and someone we will rely on a lot, offensively and defensively,” he said. “Zoey is another we will rely heavily on, probably as our setter. Gracie is showing a lot of promise and getting better every time she’s on the floor, and Brooklyn shows a lot of promise, as well. When they all work together on a regular basis, they will improve quickly because they are athletic and coachable kids — they just have to get used to my weird personality.”
The Lady Eagles will host a jamboree on Aug. 22 and participate in the Verona Invitational on Aug. 26. The home opener is Aug. 28 against Thomas Jefferson.
