Jun. 26—TUSCOLA — Tuscola athletic director Ryan Hornaday didn't have to look far for his next girls' basketball coach.

Michael Rosenbaum — who has coached the Warriors' junior varsity team and also assisted Tim Kohlbecker for the last five seasons — has ascended to the top of Tuscola's program after tallying a 117-26 record on Kohlbecker's staff.

"I'm honestly just excited for the opportunity," Rosenbaum said. "It's nice that I don't have to install a bunch of stuff. I just kind of get to tweak things here or there to fit my personality."

That continuity has helped the Warriors ease seamlessly into their first summer under Rosenbaum's guidance.

"Being a young coach, he brings a lot of energy," Hornaday said. "He's got a lot of passion for the game. More importantly, he's got a passion for Tuscola basketball and our kids.

"It's fantastic that hiring Mike gives us somebody in the building that can be with the kids all day."

Rosenbaum — who also teaches math at Tuscola — entered his time on Kohlbecker's staff with a keen understanding of the local basketball scene. A 2011 graduate of Arthur-Lovington, where he played under Dale Schuring, Rosenbaum was in the gym constantly during his college years at Lake Land and Eastern Illinois, where he was a practice player for the Panthers' women's basketball team.

He started his coaching career with middle school basketball and freshman football roles at Central A&M.

"The first person who gave me a coaching job was Brent Weakly," Rosenbaum said. "He kind of took a chance on me, letting a 22-year-old call plays for his freshman team."

Basketball, though, was Rosenbaum's true passion.

"I thought I knew football and it turns out I didn't know anything," Rosenbaum said with a laugh.

Rosenbaum credits Weakly with helping him gain the experience he needed before arriving in Tuscola. He had never coached girls' basketball, however, before joining Kohlbecker's staff.

So far, so good over the past few seasons.

"Number one, he's an educator," Kohlbecker said. "From my understanding, he's a really, really good teacher. ... He's very passionate about basketball. He loves the game. He loves studying it. He loves talking about it. We spent a lot of our five years just talking basketball all through the year.

Rosenbaum will have a steady source of advice in Kohlbecker, even if the 20-year coach has given him space during the summer to leave his own mark on the program.

"The one thing that has always impressed me about him is his people management skills," Rosenbaum said of Kohlbecker. "He always had a great relationship with his players and always interacted well with all the moving parts that come with being a basketball coach, or just a coach in general."

Kohlbecker is optimistic that the Warriors will pick up right where they left off the 2023-24 season, which ended with a 28-3 record and a Class 1A regional plaque.

Managing a young family will also come into play for Rosenbaum; his two-year-old daughter, Francis, joined him at the Warriors' final summer practice on Monday.

All the credit, Rosenbaum says, goes to his wife, Taylor.

"I couldn't do it without my wife," Rosenbaum said. "She's been supporting me the whole time. ... It's a lot, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

On the court, the Warriors will have to manage the departures of Zoey Thomason and Syndey Moss, as both were integral parts of Tuscola's roster a season ago.

But the likes of Ava Boyer, Lia Patterson and Taylor Gordon will be back in the fold to give the new-look Warriors plenty of spark.

"All in all, I've got six seniors," Rosenbaum said. "Having six seniors is so nice. It's a good group of girls, so that's helpful."