South Bend Washington and New Prairie have very different histories when it comes to girls basketball, but both schools made moves Monday night to hire new coaches.

Matt Marvin is the new head coach for the Washington girls program. A former assistant and head girls basketball coach at nearby LaLumiere, Marvin has been working as an assistant coach for the Holy Cross College women’s basketball program.  He was also the head men’s golf coach for the Saints.

A statement from the school noted “Marvin brings extensive coaching an d leadership experience with a proven track record of developing student-athletes and building strong, culture-driven programs.”

Marvin is originally from Elkhart. He resides in South Bend with his wife, Dr. Lori Risser, and daughters Maddie and Mia.

He inherits a program that went 2-17 last season, just a year removed from a run of five straight sectional championships and the 2022 Class 3A state title under Steve Reynolds.

New Prairie hired internally, promoting assistant coach Ryan Curless to take the helm of the Cougars’ girls basketball squad.

Curless, a 2004 graduate of New Prairie, was a year-round assistant coach at the high school, helping with boys tennis (four seasons), girls basketball (three seasons) and baseball (two seasons).

Curless takes over the program from Aimee Litka, who stepped down as head coach after six seasons.  New Prairie posted a 4-19 mark last year.  The Cougars have won one sectional (2024) in the last 25 seasons.