Former pro baseball player brings strong resume
By Chris Bennett
Correspondent
Organized chaos is the eventual goal of new coach Todd Frohwirth and the Elkhorn Area High School girls basketball team.
Organized chaos is the label Frohwirth applies to the style of play he’s come to prefer after decades of coaching girls and boys high school basketball.
“I want it to be fun and I want it to be exciting,” Frohwirth said. “I love getting into organized chaos. We want to play as fast as we can without losing our minds. We want it to look athletic and we want it to be fast.”
Frohwirth takes over this season for the Elks. Long-time Elkhorn girls basketball coach Jim Henriott retired after last season.
Frohwirth last coached in the 2013-14 season. He coached the boys’ team at Milwaukee Marquette High School. The team finished 8-15 overall and in fifth place in the Greater Metro Conference with a record of 5-9.
Frohwirth coached at Marquette for just one season. In the season prior – 2012-13 – he led the Mukwonago High School girls’ basketball team to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 1 state title game. The Indians lost 55-41 to Milwaukee Riverside in the championship game.
According to published reports Frohwirth has also coached at Milwaukee Messmer and Whitefish Bay. He first coached high school basketball in 1991 at Milwaukee Marquette.
Frohwirth works in scouting for the Baltimore Orioles and pitched in relief for the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and Orioles in a professional career that lasted nine years at the major league level.
Frohwirth said he took the job in Elkhorn after being contacted by some in the community. He makes his home in Waukesha and wanted to coach again.
“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone over the last couple of weeks,” Frohwirth said. “It’s refreshing that everyone wants to get better every day. We had a great first week of practice.”
The Elks opened practice on Nov. 9 and played their first game of the season Tuesday at home against non-conference foe Clinton. Elkhorn plays a non-conference game Friday at Whitnall High School in Greenfield.
Frohwirth said he expects the Elks will feature good guard play this season from Megan Skoczylas and Jessica Barrett.
Sophomore forwards Alex Trombley and Olivia May are back after solid freshman seasons, and freshmen Payton Christenson and Riley Rand are expected to contribute immediately.
A learning curve exists for Frohwirth and the Elks. A new coach is getting used to players and a new league, and players are getting accustomed to a new coach.
“I don’t know what their year is going to look like,” Frohwirth said. “I don’t know the league all that well.”
The Elks finished 3-21 overall last season and 2-12 and in last place in the Southern Lakes Conference. Waterford is the defending conference champ.
The program’s renaissance under Frohwirth might be a few seasons off. Frohwirth said a drawing point for the program is the strength of the Elkhorn Youth Girls Basketball club.
Frohwirth said there are 75 girls in the youth program, and talent in the pipeline is strong at the sixth and eighth-grade levels.
