Ryle Girls Basketball: Coaches

 Patti Oliverio -

Varsity Head Coach

  In her first 6 years leading the Ryle High School Lady Raiders, Coach Oliverio has won 123 games, while seeking an increasingly competitive schedule.  She became the Head Coach of the Ryle program in 2007, and since then has led the Lady Raiders to several firsts for Ryle Women’s Basketball.   The team had their first ever 20+ win season during her very first year at Ryle.  They advanced to their first ever 9^th Region Tournament appearance her second year, and the following year the Lady Raiders advanced to the finals of the 9^th Region Championship - another first!  The Lady Raiders have now reached the Regional’s for 5 straight years, and captured their first 33^rd District Championship in 2012.

Coach Oliverio came to Ryle High School after coaching at neighboring Boone County HS for over 20 years where she enjoyed success in several roles.   She spent 4 years as the Boone J/V girl’s basketball coach compiling a 78-8 record and winning three Conference Championships. She served at the same time as assistant varsity girls basketball coach at Boone when they won two 9^th Region Championships.  She also coached Boone’s softball team during that time, and went on to coach softball exclusively for fourteen years, winning six 9^th Region championships and finishing in the top four of the Ky State Tournament three times.  She ended with a 362 /132 softball record at Boone, and was named to the Kentucky Fast pitch Coaches Hall of Fame in 2003.

At Ryle High School, Coach Oliverio continues in a dual role as head varsity coach to both women’s basketball and fastpitch.  She began as the fastpitch assistant coach in 2007 when Ryle finished as Kentucky State Runner-up.  In 4 years as Head Coach, her Ryle fastpitch teams have reached the finals of the 9^th Region Tournament each year.  Her team has won the 9^th Region Championship three times and during each of the 3 years finished in the Elite 8 of the KHSAA/Kentucky State Fastpitch Tournament.

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           Coach Margrave is in his first year as the Junior/Varsity coach for the Lady Raiders basketball team but is a familiar face at Ryle High School as both a Raider alum, and as a teacher for the past 5 years. He has also coached the Ryle JV Girls Soccer for 4 years and the teams have been improving each year, losing only 1 game in each of the past 2 seasons.  Prior to teaching he was an assistant coach for the boys freshmen basketball team at Boone County High School.  In those 2 seasons, the teams combined for a record of 48-4 and won the Freshmen Regional Championship both years. 

            Dusty graduated from Ryle, the class of 2001, and also graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education and a Master’s Degree in Instructional Leadership.  While attending Ryle, Dusty played 4 years of Baseball and Basketball earning Varsity Letters in both. 

            Coach Margrave and his wife, Cory (also a Ryle alum) have 2 children, James and Evelyn.  Together they give a lot of their free time to Northern Kentucky Young Life’s Youth Ministry by running clubs, bible studies, and chaperoning camp trips.

            The Ryle Women's basketball program welcomes Coach Margrave!

  Freshman Coach- Heather Loechel 

  While new to Ryle Women's basketball, Coach Loechel is certainly not new to coaching.  She has been coaching basketball for 13 years starting as a 6^th grade girls basketball coach at R.A. Jones Middle School and continuing coaching at RA Jones for the next 12 years, the last 6 years as the 8^th grade boy’s coach. She was also the Athletic Director there for her last five years. During her tenure at R.A. Jones, her teams have won numerous awards, including the BKAC Regional Conference and Tournament Championships, Final Four in the BCI state championships twice, and Elite Eight in the Middle School State Tournament, losing to the eventual state champion. Her 8^th grade boys team finished in the final four of the Conference Tournament four years in a row. Her first year coaching the 8^th grade boys team, she took a 3-18 team and improved their record to 22-7.

Coach Loechel has also coached both local and travel AAU basketball teams at the 14U level thru 18U level, both boys and girls. Her local teams have gone undefeated for 4 straight years and her travel teams have won numerous tournaments, including a 3^rd place finish at the Grand Nationals Tournament, where they defeated a national powerhouse team from New York and lost by 1 point to the number one team from Ontario. Several of her players have gone on to play at the college level. 

Coach Loechel graduated from Orange Park High School in Florida. She earned varsity letters in basketball, softball, and volleyball.  During her high school career, she won numerous awards, such as an MVP award in softball her Junior year and the Basketball Award her senior year. Coach Loechel also received the Presidential Academic Fitness Award and finished near the top of her class academically. A season-ending injury during her senior year ended her sports playing career.

Coach Loechel earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in education from Northern Kentucky University, where she is a member of the International Honor Society. She taught at R.A. Jones for several years before accepting a position to teach at Cooper High School, where she teaches Social Studies.

Assistant coaches:

Ed Connor -

Assistant Coach Ed Connor was the head basketball coach in Katrineholm Sweden from 1977 to 1986. There he coached the men and women’s top division teams and many top American men and women college players looking to earn a long term basketball contract in Europe.  He also helped develop the Swedish Junior Olympic  17 and 18 year old boys teams. Coach Connor returned to the United States in 1987 and was his father’s assistant coach, the late Coach Jim Connor at Thomas More College, with the men’s varsity basketball team until 1989. Ed has also coached local AAU teams and is a Certified Sports Psychologist.

Assistant Coach Scott Schwartz started his coaching career at Walton Middle School where he coached for the boy’s middle school program from 1996 to 2001.  Coach Schwartz has been coaching girl’s basketball for school and AAU teams since 2006. He has participated in numerous college coaching clinics to help develop future basketball players. Scott graduated from Boone County High School where he played basketball from 1985 to 1987. He was a member of the 1985 boys Ninth Region Championship team.  Coach Schwartz earned his Bachelor’s degree from Northern Kentucky University.

          As a Lady Raider Assistant Coach, Scott Stephens continues his history of dedication to girl's sports and youth athletics.   Coach Stephens has been involved with travel softball,  middle school and AAU basketball,  rec sports for boys and girls, as well as managing the Mann Elementary basketball program.  Coach Stephens led his 2010 - 2011 6th grade girls team from Gray Middle School to an undefeated season and the NKMSAA championship.   He has also been involved with Lady Raider fastpitch for several years prior to joining the staff of Ryle's women's basketball program.  Coach Stephens  is a graduate of Henry Clay High School where he lettered in basketball and football.  He was a member of both the 1982 Kentucky High School State Football Championship team and the 1983 Kentucky High School State Basketball Championship team.