FORT WAYNE, Ind. (SummitCitySports) – Coach Rod Parker is in his 24th year leading the girls basketball team at Homestead High School. It’s a role he’s taken seriously — and a role that’s steadily yielded results in the last two decades.
“He’s definitely a high-intensity coach,” Junior Myah Epps described.
“He focuses on the fundamentals a lot!” Whitney Ankenbruck said.
Leading up to sectionals, the lady Spartans were putting in hard-working practices — meeting at 6:45 a.m. on a Saturday.
Coach Parker believes practice and preparedness is behind every successful squad.
“There’s certain outcomes we can’t control, no doubt about it,” he told us. “But what we can do is control the things that we practice, the things that we can control within a game.”
“My ultimate goal everyday is to control those controllables,” Coach Parker added. “And if we can do that, we can compete at a higher level and play together.”
Nobody would argue he created a program that is hungry for results. Coach Parker currently ranks #19 all-time in the state of Indiana with 449 career wins — an average of 19 per season.
He has big expectations for his players: discipline, dedication, and attention to detail.
“If you ask anyone in the state now, you bring up Homestead girls basketball, people are like ‘Yeah, they’re pretty good!’ and ‘They’ve built something there’,” His daughter Madisen Parker explains. “That’s something — the tradition, you want to continue.”
Madisen Parker is very familiar with the program. Not only was she a toddler when her father began his coaching career with Southwest Allen County Schools, but she was also a part of the 2017 State Championship team.
After graduation, she took her talents to Bowling Green University, where she set the record for most games played in Lady Falcon history.
Her sister Rylie also endured the rigorous training program, and continued her basketball career at Indiana Wesleyan University.
After this year, Coach Parker’s youngest is graduating from the high school — soon leaving him without any kids in the district.
That is — until Madisen’s return. Now a math teacher, she’s joined the Homestead team once again, this time as an assistant coach, opening a new chapter in hers… and his life.
“I think it’s more than just a chapter — it’s a whole new book!” Coach Parker said excitedly. “When my daughters graduated, selfishly, it was a little bit of a bummer. One of the neat things about coaching your children is the fact that you spend time with them every day in the gym. You get to experience the successes and failures of your program with them.”
And there’s been a lot of success. Homestead won five regional championships — four in the last decade.
“She’s been around this program from the time she could walk. She understands the expectations of this program, and what I expect of kids and the team and my philosophies,” he continued. “Having her back on the sidelines is special.”
Madisen has watched her father’s work turn the legacy of the Lady Spartans into a perennial powerhouse in the state of Indiana.
“I grew up in Homestead. I was watching his players play. I was going into locker rooms. I was going into practice. I was basically waiting for my opportunity to get to play for him,” she shared. “My dad has been a great mentor and role model for me when it comes to coaching. And something he’s taught me, is that the details matter. As a player, the details matter on the court. As a coach, the details matter behind the scenes.”
And while of course, Madisen is learning from her father now, in a completely different way than a daughter or a player — Coach Parker too, is reinventing himself.
“When she went away for five years and played college basketball, she gained a lot of wealth and knowledge of the game,” he said. “And sees things now from different lenses and viewpoints. And so she’s able to share that with me and our staff, and I think it’s made us a little more versatile in the last couple years here.”
Coach Parker is being modest. The Spartans were forced into being versatile years before Madisen returned to the bench. In 2019, Parker was forced to step down, turning his time and attention to his fight with cancer.
A pivotal moment for his supporting coaches. An even more pivotal moment in his family’s life.
“I don’t think coaching comes as a surprise to anyone,” Madisen explained. “I love the sport. I love the game. Obviously, when he went through what he did, it put a lot of perspective for — I think everyone in my family just to appreciate and to live life to its fullest.”
“So the fact I get to share this time with him, and these experiences, is really special to me,” she continued. “This time, I’m cherishing, and hopefully I have many more years of it to come.”
Though Coach Parker is back and more motivated than ever, he has started to think about the program’s legacy. Now with his daughter, who has Division 1 playing experience, and is now coaching alongside him… who knows? Maybe one day Madisen will carry the torch.
“It will hopefully be a long term thing, because you know coaching isn’t just limited to four years. It’s been a lot of fun!” he said. “I’m just very fortunate right now to be able to coach and lead this program, because I just have tremendous student athletes who pour their heart and souls — not only into the basketball component of it — but to their teammates and the overall culture.”
The Homestead girls basketball team also has committed and loyal assistant coaches and support staff. Coaches Todd German and Kara Ankenbruck have volunteered over twenty years. Coach Nicole Gilles is approaching her tenth year with the team — and was a former player under Parker. Coach Ashley Strasser and Coach Madisen Parker are the newest additions to the bench, with both serving three and two years respectively.
The Spartans secured their sectional win during a postponed game against Huntington North on Monday. As the competition only becomes more challenging, the roster, which mostly consists of juniors, believe the best is yet to come.
“Like Parker says, it’s one game at a time,” Carley Moellering shared. “We have to take every game seriously, no matter the competition.”
Five is one, like Parker likes to say,” she concluded. “And we’re going to make it all the way, I really do believe it.”
Homestead is currently ranked #3 in the state, and will take on the #1 ranked Hamilton Southeastern Saturday at 7 p.m. at Marion High School.
