Villagrana comes home

COLUMBUS JUNCTION - Miguel Villagrana wasn't the king of Homecoming this year for Columbus High School, but he could have been.

Villagrana came home to be a Wildcat again when he replaced Dave Lekwa as the basketball coach for the Wildcats. Villagrana works in the tech department and is a 1987 graduate of Columbus. He was an all-conference selection in baseball, football and basketball as a Wildcat. 'Miguel has a history with Columbus, coaching here in the past,” Columbus athletic director Jake McCullough said. 'He wanted to come back and keep building off what Dave started.”

He previously was the head coach for one year and an assistant for three at Columbus.

'I have always wanted to come back and coach here,” Villagrana said, 'I'm in the right spot of my life and it was an easy decision.”

Villagrana currently resides in Tiffin. He has three adult children, aged 28, 27, and 24. His mother, two of his sisters, extended family and many cousins still live in the area and some have children in the district.

'My kids are very excited for this opportunity,” Villagrana said. 'I believe basketball is the most fun to play and practice and I want to instill that in my players.”

He started coaching in youth leagues when his kids began playing. As they aged, he moved up until coaching junior varsity girls basketball at Columbus, then was the boys head coach for a year. Office relocation in Iowa City precipitated a move to Solon, where he was for eight years as freshman, then sophomore coach (two separate stints).

'He has coached at some larger schools since leaving Columbus and worked with AAU teams,” McCullough said. 'So we thought it would be great for our kids to have someone that has seen different programs and has been working with a wide variety of skill levels and we are hoping he can keep us moving forward.”

During his 17 years of coaching he has coached with Brad Randall of Solon High and Steve Bergman of Iowa City West

'They are very enthusiastic about me taking this opportunity,” Villagrana said.

He prefers his basketball to be high-paced with players in control. To have that work, it takes a lot of effort because the players have to learn when to run, how to run, why they are running and how a coach wants it to work.

'You have to put your trust in them and let them grow,” Villagrana said, 'Which also means watching them break some eggs before the omelet is ready.”

Columbus has not won more than three games in a season since 2013-14. It has not had a winning record since going 14-7 in 2007-08.

Villagrana said he still gets excited and nervous every time he coaches and wants his players to have that same feeling. Ultimately, the goal is to have a program that kids want to join and be involved in. He remembers Friday home games in January that were close, coming down to the final possession for each team.

'Students and parents on both sides are cheering, it's loud and I'm trying to convince them that this is why you play,” Villagrana said. 'That feeling of we don't know what's going to happen, we have a chance to be victorious and it's in our control.”

Villagrana wants everyone who plays for him to experience that in their athletic career. Very few will win championships, but a player can feel like a champion on any given night.

'If you commit to it, that is what sports should provide, that time you were a part of something that didn't seem possible,” Villagrana said. 'But you must expect it of yourself before you can achieve it.”