Warsaw boys basketball head coach Doug Ogle, shown here during the 2017 sectional championship, announced Monday he will retire from coaching following this season. (Photo courtesy of Dave Anson)

WARSAW – Warsaw’s tournament run in boys basketball season will be the last for Doug Ogle.

The longtime head coach for the Tigers announced Monday afternoon that he is retiring from coaching effective after this season.

In a prepared statement, Ogle remarked on his decision:

“I let Mr. (Troy, principal of WCHS) Akers know earlier today that I have decided to retire from coaching effective at the end of the season.

“I have greatly enjoyed the many relationships I have had over the past 35 years with the players, managers, support staff, assistant coaches, athletic office staff, WCHS administration, media and, certainly Tiger Nation. I look forward to personally thanking the many people in the next weeks and months for how much they have meant to me during my time as a coach.

Doug Ogle has coached hundreds of special players over the years, and like here with IWU’s Kyle Mangas, still cares about them away from his direct coaching. (Photo by Mike Deak)

“Coaching is hard, and it is not getting any easier. I do feel good about the successes of Tiger Basketball during my tenure, both on the court and with what our team members have done moving forward in their lives.

“I have been competing hard for 35 years, and I look forward to a less stressful, less busy life. That said, I also look forward to competing with our player for one more stretch as we go up to Elkhart on Wednesday night to begin sectional play.

“Finally, my deepest thanks for Melissa (wife), (and daughters) Courtney, Cendall and Creigh for their constant love and support. The Lord blessed me with four strong and courageous women to encourage me along the way. I am eagerly anticipating the next chapter in my life with a full heart and my head held high.”

Ogle has spent his career coaching the Tigers in both the JV and varsity ranks. For 17 years, he was the JV coach for Al Rhodes, where Ogle started his career with a 270-30 mark with the junior varsity. After taking over for Rhodes as varsity head coach in 2003, Ogle has been exceptionally consistent. Warsaw has had only two losing seasons under Ogle, both finishing 11-12 in 2006 and 2018, the 2006 season, however, Warsaw claimed the sectional title. In all, Ogle is 273-140 through the end of the regular season in his 18th year.

The Tigers have won six sectional titles, a regional in 2016 and made the state finals in a magical 2010 season under Ogle’s guidance.

Among the more notable accolades for Ogle, as he stated in the press release, is the success his players have away from the Tiger Den. Kyle Mangas, a 2017 grad, has become one of, if not THE top player in NAIA men’s basketball in guiding Indiana Wesleyan as a junior. Mangas’ Warsaw teammate, Paul Marandet, was named the NAIA Player of the Year in 2019 after leading Spring Arbor to the NAIA National Championship. Jake Mangas earned a handful of state and national academic honors while graduating No. 1 in his class in 2015. Nic Moore, a 2011 grad, went on to become a two-time American Athletic Conference Player of the Year for Southern Methodist University and was an AP All-American Honorable Mention before taking on a professional career overseas.

Warsaw (11-9) jumps into sectional play Wednesday night against Goshen at the Elkhart Boys Basketball Sectional. A win and a Penn victory over Elkhart Central will have Ogle meet Rhodes in the semi-finals.