Marysville girl’s basketball coaches from left Klarke Ransome, Sydney Ransome and Natalie Herring.
The sport of basketball and Natalie Herring were just made for one another.
That’s why when Herring stepped down as Dublin Jerome’s girls head coach, she still wasn’t ready to give up on the game she loves.
“My full intention was to retire from coaching at the end of the 2019-20 season,” said Herring, who has joined the girl’s basketball coaching staff at Marysville High School.
“I was also just going to travel to some places where I know the coaches, like Landon (Fraker-Fairbanks) and Bre (Nauman-North Union).
“I was just going to hang out for some time with coaches I know in order to get my basketball ‘fix.’”
Herring’s fix has been completed with her joining the Lady Monarch program.
The former North Union girls head coach is an addition to an MHS coaching staff that has a strong NU flavor.
Klarke Ransome, who was a former boys standout player for North Union, has taken over the Marysville girls program.
Ransome served several years as an assistant coach for the MHS boys team.
He was hired to replace Brooke Young, who stepped down at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.
One of Ransome’s assistant coaches is his wife, Sydney (Parrott) Ransome, who played for Herring on a number of successful Lady Cat teams.
“Klarke and Syd called me this past spring to see if I was interested in coaching at Marysville,” said Herring.
“Syd was a very special player for me at North Union,” she said. “She was very instrumental in what I was selling as a coach and did a lot of extra things to make herself into a great player.”
What Herring sold resulted in a remarkable run of success for the Lady Cats.
North Union captured four Division III district championships during Herring’s seven-year tenure.
Under her leadership, the Lady Cats posted a won-loss record of 147-28.
Herring was looking for different challenges when she stepped down from the North Union program.
She took over a Division I Dublin Jerome program that had not had a great deal of recent success.
During her four seasons at Jerome, the Celtics posted a 40-53 record, including 15 victories during the 2019-20 campaign.
Herring’s overall record for 11 seasons between the two schools is 187-81.
The former North Union coach has tried to remain in close contact with all of her former players.
“I’ve tried to leave it with all of them that if they ever needed something, just to call me,” she said.
When the Ransomes called Herring a few months ago, it did not take a lot of arm-twisting to bring the former Lady Cat coach into the MHS program.
Herring will coach the junior varsity team and help with all other facets of the program.
“Klarke has also allowed me to run some varsity practices,” she said. “I’m just happy to be back.
“I get to spend time with one of my former players and teach the game of basketball,” said Herring.
“I’ve got all the benefits of coaching the game, with none of the stresses of being head coach.”
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