Dan Woods, AHA’s very own girls basketball coach, was recently inducted into the Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. Over his 28 years coaching, Woods has led his teams to win 547 games, 12 Conference Championships, and 3 State Championships, contributing to his long and illustrious legacy here at AHA. Wood also boasts an impressive appearance record at the Girls State Basketball Tournament, having seven coaching appearances so far, ranging from 2005-2021. Despite his many coaching accolades, Woods’ proudest achievement is the athletes that he coached doing well today as adults.
Woods’ favorite moment in his career is when the girls were underdogs going into the 2016 Class AAA state tournament after finishing the regular season with a 23-3 record and receiving the lowest seed. That year, they went on to become State Champions.
Despite the many highs and lows of coaching girls basketball, Woods’ philosophy remains the same, “The best player will play regardless of age, grade, and status, while those that are not getting playing time need to improve.” As a coach, Woods has the aptitude for recognizing skilled players while also managing unrealistic expectations from the athletes. After coaching for 28 years, Woods is still motivated by “the will to win and be the best that (I) can. Once that’s done, I am done.”
Woods’ legacy at AHA includes not only his time spent on the court and in the classroom, but his position as the assistant football coach and the former junior varsity golf coach. When asked about the difference between coaching girls basketball and football, Woods replied, “Contact sport for one vs non-contact, but other than them being girls the expectations are the same.” He not only maintains consistent expectations throughout the sports seasons, but he holds his students to the same standard in the classroom. “For the most part as a coach when things are not done correctly you repeat it until it is. In the classroom I give the student the option to do the same. You are going to make mistakes, but the true question is are you willing to put in the work to correct it,” Woods explains.