Meet the Coaches
Richie Johnson
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Ben Breidenbach
Coach Breidenbach is entering his 4th year coaching in the La Crosse Elevate program after coaching the 7th grade team last year. Ben has been coaching in the Onalaska Suns girls basketball organization from 2014 through 2018. Coach Breidenbach attributes his basketball success to Teamwork and Defense. Ben’s coaching philosophy revolves around understanding a team’s strengths and weaknesses, creating team goals to drive success, concentrating on skill development, and understanding the importance of well-rounded athletes and how sports can provide important life lessons that can be used in all future endeavors and not just sports.
Coach Breidenbach played basketball, football, and baseball at Markesan H.S.(WI) and was the point guard on the 1994 state championship team. After high school, Ben attended Lakeland College (WI) where he played baseball. Ben and his wife Amy have 4 children, Emma, Ava, Jack, Macy, and have a dog named Charlie. Ben and Amy are self-employed doctors in the Onalaska/La Crosse area. Ben enjoys hunting and fishing in his free time.
Ally Ostrander​
Ally is entering her first year as a head coach for the La Crosse Elevate Program. However, she has been an assistant coach for various grade levels since 2014. Recently, she has also taken on the role of head coach for an Onalaska Suns youth girls basketball team. She has been the head of the now 7th grade team for the past three years. Prior to coaching, Ally attended Viterbo University where she was a shooting/point guard for four seasons, and a captain for two while on the women's basketball team.
Eric Gansen​
Eric Gansen is entering his 2nd year coaching with La Crosse Elevate. He will be coaching the 5th-grade girl's team this season after coaching the 4th and 5th-grade combined team last year. He has coached boys and girls teams in the La Crosse Area Family YMCA's Youth Development League and in the Onalaska Suns girl's basketball program. Eric strongly believes in judging the success of his team not by wins and losses, but instead by the improvements the players make both as individuals and as a team.
Eric is a local coach graduating from La Crosse Central High School where he competed in basketball and track and field. He also competed collegiately at the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse on the school's track and field team. He was a two-year team captain, a five-time NCAA Division III All American, and a member of four national championship teams. Eric is a professor in the Physics Department at UW-La Crosse.