Brian O’Donnell could teach a class in time management. If he had the time, that is.

O’Donnell teaches social studies at Springville High School, putting in a full day that typically stretches from 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

When that’s over, he hustles over to Marion High School to coach the girls basketball team from roughly 4 to 6 p.m., but he’s not done yet.

He’s taking on-line classes from Grand Canyon College to get an administrative degree, so he’s got to flip on the computer for his class, and he’s also married with two young children, Brady, almost 3, and Blake, 8 months.

“So we stay busy,” said O’Donnell, catching his breath after a practice.

He described his wife, Jenny, as “very tolerant.”

“The wife of a coach,” he said.

O’Donnell, 35, succeeded Sherryl Gaffney-Paige as the head coach at Marion this year after a successful stint as the head girls’ basketball coach at Springville. He went 0-22 in his first year at Springville, yet by 2008 the Orioles were the Class 1A state champions.

He inherits a winning tradition at Marion — 83-14 the past four years with three conference titles and two trips to state – but all-staters Morgan Paige (the former coach’s daughter) and Brittany Fish have graduated.

It’s a learning process. For everyone, the players and new head coach included.

“Right now it’s a matter of me trying to learn things from them, and them trying to learn things from me,” he said. “The nice thing is, I’m taking over for Gaff (Gaffney-Paige), who did such an outstanding job.”

Gaffney-Paige stepped aside so she could watch her talented children play basketball this season. Morgan Paige is a freshman at the University of Wisconsin, while Marcus Paige is a junior at Linn-Mar who is being recruited by some of the top Division I schools in the country.

Kristin Kramer, the top returner scorer for the Indians at 7.6 points per game, said the coaching change has been fairly smooth.

“They’re both great coaches,” said Kramer, a 5-foot-6 senior. “They both have a lot of energy, and the same style. It’s great to have Coach O’Donnell. Coach Gaff was a great coach, too.”

O’Donnell grew up in Cedar Rapids, attended LaSalle High School and graduated from Mount Mercy College in 1997. He’s compiled a 129-109 record in 10 years as a head coach, but he had to survive a rough start. He was saddled with a 1-20 mark in his first and only year at Storm Lake St. Mary’s, then went 0-22 in his first year at Springville.

It quickly got better from there. He won nine games at Springville in Year 2, then 16 games and the conference title in Year 3, and the state title in 2008.

“I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum,” he said. “I think it teaches you how to be a better coach, because you have to make adjustments when things aren’t going well.”

Marion graduated its top four scorers after a 23-2 campaign last season (Paige, Fish, Amanda Peterson, Alli O’Neil) and its top seven rebounders (add Maggie Murphy, Allysa Reisner and Chelsea Jones to the list).

Kramer, Leah Smith, Micaela Combs and Dani Peyton contributed last season and are back this year.

“So far we’re looking pretty good,” Smith said. “It’s a new coach, a new season, new girls, a lot of new players.

“We’re faster than we have been, so we’re probably going to push the ball more than we have in the past.”

O’Donnell wants to run and play an up-tempo brand of basketball, partially because Marion does not have a lot of height.

“We’ve got about six or seven girls that are talented in different ways, so I don’t know if we’re going to have a 20 point per game scorer, someone who everything goes through,” he said. “My goal is to have six or seven kids averaging anywhere between 6 to 10 points a game and try to get some balance that way a little bit.”

The Indians leaned heavily last year on Morgan Paige, who averaged 25 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals per game.

“It’s different (without Paige),” Smith said. “It gives a lot of the other girls a lot more opportunities, it makes everyone else have to step up and be in a position of scorer.

“We’re fast and short, so I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people with our speed.”

“Get out and run,” agreed Kramer, who played two years at Xavier before transferring to Marion last year. “I think we have a great chance of doing well and moving down the court and getting a lot of layups.”

ROSTER

Seniors (6)

Leah Smith (5-5), Kristin Kramer (5-6), Sam Meyer (5-7), Meghan Herren (5-11), Tori Pratt (5-7), Ashley Kupka (5-5).

Juniors (8)

Brooke Cole (5-5), Ashlin Korf (5-5), Allison Scott (5-4), Alexis Timp (5-8), Elizabeth Deeney (5-10), Alyssa Jones (5-10), Dani Peyton (5-5), Jessie Kramer (5-9).

Sophomores (4)

Paige Perkins (5-9), Beth Knapp (5-6), Micaela Combs (5-6), Lexie Rael (5-5).

SCHEDULE

Friday, Nov. 19 — Jefferson Jamboree

Tuesday, Nov. 23 — at Dyersville Beckman, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 30 — Solon, 6 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 3 — at Anamosa, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 7 — Clear Creek-Amana, 6 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 10 — at Vinton-Shellsburg, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 14 — at Williamsburg, 6 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 17 — at Independence, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 4 — Center Point-Urbana, 6 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 7 — Benton Community, 6 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 8 — at Dubuque Wahlert, 5 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 11 — at Waterloo Columbus, 6 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 14 — Vinton-Shellsburg, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 18 — at Clear Creek-Amana, 6 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 21 — Mount Vernon, 6 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 22 — Mount Pleasant, 2 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 25 — Independence, 6 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 28 — Williamsburg, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 1 — at Center Point-Urbana, 6 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 4 — Waterloo Columbus, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 8 — at Benton Community, 6 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 12 — at Kennedy, 5 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 16 — Regional, TBA