Varsity Head Coach
John Wanke
Coach Wanke is entering his second season leading the Golden Bear program as the varsity head coach. The 2021-2022 season was highlighted by a remarkable turnaround with the team finishing 15-9 overall and a Sectional final appearance. The win total represents four more wins than the previous two seasons combined. Marquee wins included Grove City, Davidson (2x), Orange (2x), Bradley, Dublin Scioto and Thomas Worthington. The Golden Bears finished third in the competitive OCC while winning the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational. Four players were recognized with All Conference honors and two, Alyssa Gest and Kate Leach, are now both playing collegiately. Most importantly, the overall team GPA was 3.8.
Coach has been a fixture of the Upper Arlington Basketball Program for the past twelve years, serving as a head coach for boys basketball at the middle school and freshman levels, and also as a varsity assistant. He is a familiar face for those involved in the youth program as well, having coached several GBBC and AAU teams. As an assistant on the boys varsity team, Coach helped solidify the Golden Bears as one of the top programs in the state, highlighted by the State Title game in 2012-2013, three district championships and six league championships. As a head coach, he has amassed a 133-47 overall record.
A native of Dayton, OH, he has had the great fortune of playing and learning from two hall of fame coaches in Joe Petrocelli at Kettering Alter High School and Charlie Coles at Miami University (OH). While at Alter High School, his teams played in two state final fours and were ranked #1 in the state.
Coach Wanke has been married to his wife Erin for fifteen years. They have three children. He is currently employed as a Regional Vice President at Salesforce.