Former Gibsonburg coach returns to the hardwood

Press Sports Editor
sports@presspublications.com

It’s come full circle for Brent Liskai.
The former Gibsonburg basketball coach has been named the head coach at Fostoria, one year after he joined the Redmen as an assistant.
Fostoria was the first school to hire Liskai as a teacher in 1996 following his graduation from Bowling Green State University.
Liskai would move on to Swanton to become the head coach there in 2001, and returned to Gibsonburg, his alma mater, one year later to be the head coach, succeeding Keith Diebler and holding the reins of the program for 20 years while winning 235 games, a program record.
Liskai left Gibsonburg in 2022 and, after taking a year off, was hired by former head coach Thom Loomis to be an assistant.
Liskai talked about why he wanted to get back into coaching.
“I took the Fostoria job because it has always had a special place in my heart since it was where I got my first teaching job in ’96,” he said. “I am familiar with many of the community members and staff, and think there is a lot of potential. Mainly though, I really missed coaching and the day-to-day work with the players.”
Liskai, who had tremendous success at Gibsonburg, knows what it takes to win.
“There is a lot of potential at Fostoria High School, and the key is, like anywhere, to get everyone on the same page and chase one common goal,” he said. “There are good athletes and the focus has been on making sound, fundamental basketball players. The players have been very willing to put time in and take in coaching.”
Last year, the Redmen, led by the likes of Machi Johnson and Jordan Ferguson, went 18-5 and 11-3 in the Northern Buckeye Conference, good enough to tie Genoa for the league championship.
Johnson, who averaged 22.5 points and is the program’s all-time leading scorer, was named the conference’s Player of the Year. Ferguson (16.7 points, 10.9 rebounds) earned first-team honors in the NBC.
“It is important to me that I already know most of the players because it helps us build trust in one another and begin to build our team,” said Liskai. “It’s way too early to know the key players, but the ones with returning varsity minutes are Trent Smith, Jayceon Tucker, Lance Miller and Traivon Cousin.”
Loomis, who went 79-84 in seven seasons at Fostoria, is also the school’s athletic director. He talked about the school’s reasoning for promoting Liskai.
“Coach Liskai has a proven track record of success as an educator and a coach. His experience in Fostoria when he was an assistant football and basketball coach in the late ‘90s and early 2000s give him strong ties in our community,” said Loomis. “He was an asset to our program last season as a varsity assistant coach and developed good relationships with our players.
“I was fortunate enough to be the Gibsonburg High School principal for the majority of Coach Liskai’s time at Gibsonburg. He is an excellent teacher and team builder. He brought out the best in his players and established a strong program that was in contention every season.”
Loomis left the program in good shape.
“Our program is very solid now. We have built the program to compete at the top of the NBC. Despite the loss of four starters from last year's team, we return a core of players who earned valuable varsity experience last year. Jayceon Tucker, who has been a starter since his freshman year returns as a junior. Our other returning letter winners are Trent Smith, Traivon Cousin, and Lance Miller, who bring proven experience and athleticism,” said Loomis. “Our JV team had a good, 12-win season last year with predominantly a freshman/sophomore roster, and the freshmen team was 19-3, so the cupboard is far from bare.
“The NBC will be tough next year, but our program is well-positioned to compete night in and night out.”