Close to the Court

Libby Ogden's first memory of holding a basketball is when she was three years old. "I'm guessing I probably had one when I was in the crib," said Ogden, a freshman star at Hamilton Heights. "I'm sure my dad had one around." Ogden's dad would be Kurt, the second-year coach at Hamilton Heights who is having a blast coaching his daughter for the first time. "I've helped out on a lot of her travel teams and AAU teams, but this is the first time she's had to listen to me," said Kurt, a physical education teacher at Tipton who accepted the Hamilton Heights position two years ago. "So far, it's been great." The Ogdens have taken an unusual trek to join each other in high school. They live two minutes from Tipton High School and Libby grew up playing in Tipton youth leagues. But when the opportunity to coach at Hamilton Heights came open, it was too good to pass up. "This is a great situation for us," Ogden said. "We get to talk basketball all the time and it works." Libby transferred to the Hamilton Heights school district two years ago. She drives to school with her mom because the starting times at Tipton and Hamilton Heights are too close together. Otherwise, she'd probably talk basketball 24 hours a day. "It's just what we do," Libby said. "My dad and I talk basketball all the time. It's a pretty big topic in our house and it means we get to spend a lot of time together." Kurt has been involved in basketball as long as he can remember. He coached the Tipton girls for six years and has been heavily involved in travel leagues and the AAU circuit since before Libby began playing. He thinks his years of experience have helped in his relationship with his daughter. "For the father-daughter relationship to be successful, that relationship has to be built on solid ground," Kurt said. "I respect her more as a person than a basketball player and I think she looks at me as her father more than she does as her basketball coach. That mutual respect for each other as a person is what works." Libby also has learned to respect the game from her father. "I remember learning to dribble when I was about three," she said. "Dad has always been around basketball and we always had basketballs around the house. It just seemed natural." Libby has started every game this season. She was averaging 13.7 points and 2.4 assists through her first 11 varsity games. "She's a playmaker," Kurt said. "She's learned so much about the game just because she's been around it for so long." That familiarity also comes with a price. "Sometimes it's hard playing for him because I know he expects so much out of me," Libby said. "I know he's just trying to get me to reach my potential and that's a good thing. We talk about that all the time." Libby has helped Hamilton Heights to one of its best starts in recent history. The Huskies had five straight losing seasons heading into the year, but with Libby at either the one or two guard spot, the team got off to a 7-4 start in the first month of the season. "Being here last year really gave us a jump start," Libby said. "I made a lot of new friends last year and I got to play with the girls for a whole season. We were excited all summer to get the year going." Because of her proximity to Tipton, though, Libby has had one date circled on the calendar since last spring. "We host Tipton January 22," she said. "Some of my best friends play for Tipton and I hang out with those girls all the time. That will be a fun night for all of us." Kurt thinks all the nights are fun this season. "It's been a very good experience for both of us so far," he said. "We spend a lot of time together and we talk about a lot more than just basketball. I think that's why we respect each other so much." Libby played for the Indiana Elite AAU program last summer. Her dad was an assistant on that team. "That experience really helped prepare both of us for spending a lot of time together," said Libby, who played volleyball this past fall. "I know first-hand what his expectations are and I've learned so much from him that helps us on the court." Libby plans on turning all her attention to basketball starting this spring. She's considering dropping softball to devote more time to travel teams. "I just love basketball," she said. "I guess you could say I can't get enough of it."