This spring, two new coaches are hoping to make a splash as they take over for Hall of Fame coaches on the Naperville Central boys and Naperville North girls water polo teams. For the Redhawks, former Sandburg girls coach Allison Rocha stands on deck after the retirement of Bill Salentine, while Andy Bax will oversee the Huskies as a familiar face, taking the reins from Andy McWhirter. This story is sponsored by Fair Oaks Ford and Fair Oaks Lincoln.
“Big shoes to fill. I worked for him the past eight years and have seen how he’s done this in the program that he’s built is phenomenal. The recent success has been great and fun, but even if we’re not winning games, just working with student athletes, helping them become better human beings, it’s always been our goal,” said new Naperville North coach Andy Bax.
“Jumping in with the boys team adds a new level of competitive edge to my coaching career and what I’m looking to do. With such a historic program and a competitive team like Naperville Central, I’m really hoping that we can help rebuild some of that success and bring a couple of new titles back to the pool here,” said new Naperville Central coach Allison Rocha.
Filling the shoes of Hall of Fame veterans
They both become just the second head coaches in the 25+ year history of the programs. Bax is no stranger to the Huskie team after serving as an assistant under McWhirter. The two will now switch roles, with McWhirter serving as assistant to Bax under a plan the former coach pitched.
“When he came and told me his plan, this little nervous excitement, I think, and wondering how things would change a little bit. With him still on staff, we’re hoping to keep it as similar as possible and keep rolling with the success that we’ve had together,” said Bax.
“He’s a really big deal and really good for all the girls. We’re working on working more as a team, having better, passing better communication, and he’s really implemented those fundamentals,” said Naperville North player Molly Depies.
Taking the winning mentality to a new level
Rocha is coming off three seasons with the girls water polo team at Sandburg High School. After a successful run with the Eagles, which included a sectional title in 2023, Rocha is ready to take that winning mentality to a historic Naperville Central program, which has won three state championships in the past ten years.
“When this opportunity opened up, I had a few coaches kind of reach out and encouraged me to apply, thinking this would be a good next step forward, and it worked out well,” said Rocha.
This season she hopes to help the Redhawks dethrone their rival, Naperville North, who claimed the 2025 state championship.
“As a coach, first and foremost, I love to win. That’s part of the reason I love the athletic environment so much, and I think we’ve got a group of guys here that are dedicated. They’re great people, dedicated athletes, and they have the desire to learn. I think that’s really all you can ask for from a team,” said Rocha.
“I’m super excited. I mean, for our whole team, we’ve really come together at the start of the season. We’re so excited and ready to really hit the ground running, and we’re ready to make big changes this year,” said Naperville Central player Will Tucker.
“She’s made a lot of changes, much bigger focus on the fundamentals and getting everything right from step one, and it’s been good,” said Naperville Central player Vinny Antionetti.
Rocha and Bax eye the same goal
As both coaches get set for their inaugural campaigns, they aim to get their respective programs back to the promised land. Rocha is looking to lift the Hawks to their first sectional title since 2019, while Bax is hoping to bring the Huskies, who finished third a season ago, back to the top of the mountain after back-to-back state championships in 2021 and 2022.
“We got a tough schedule, seeing our teams from our sectional and other sectionals. So teams that we might see in the state tournament, it’s going to be good for us to kind of test where we’re at and what we need to work on as well,” said Bax.
“I think it’s kind of just taking one step at a time at this point, you know, where are our successes? Where do we want to improve, and how can we do that as efficiently as possible? So I think it’s going to set us up for success in the long run, and we just need to take it day by day and know what our long-term goals are and kind of keep those in mind,” said Rocha.
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