Saint Peter High School alum Megan Vogel, who currently is an assistant basketball coach with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, dropped by the SPHS gym on Wednesday, to meet with the Saints’ girls basketball coaches and players. The visit was organized by Saints’ head coach Air Chantharak & his father-in-law Blake Dirks, Megan’s youth traveling coach, while Vogel is in town visiting family during the holidays.
(ABOVE) Megan Vogel, 2003 SPHS alum and current assistant coach with the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, had the chance to meet and address the current Saints' girls basketball players and coaches on Wednesday. Vogel is in the middle of the second row above (wearing white 'WNBA Finals' hoodie & wearing glasses).
“Megan personally took some time to meet with me before talking to the girls. We discussed some ways, from a coaching perspective, how to develop our own mindsets daily and acknowledging that we, as coaches, are human too and have our 'weak voice/strong voice' moments. Megan emphasized taking our own medicine and reinforced that players aren’t the only ones dealing with those struggles in competition and she gave me resources whilst challenging me to just be me.” Coach Chantharak said. “With the team, Megan talked about her own journey from seeing her first professional women’s basketball game, a Minnesota Lynx game, as a seventh grader and how it created the dream of playing professionally, her journey at SDSU (South Dakota State), being drafted into the WNBA but cut and then almost getting signed before an injury thwarted that chance. She talked about being told that playing basketball would not be an option and how much that hurt.
“After that message, she taught the team about “chasing their passions relentlessly” and how sometimes it may not always be what they envisioned, but if they work hard enough, doors will open. After her story, Megan shared ways that WNBA players think about the game and how to build a successful and competitive team (from a players perspective) along with mindsets that those players have. The part that I was most impressed with was how Megan commanded the room, spoke from a players perspective, and shared the message to the athletes in a way that they can understand and relate to. Players were awestruck. In the short amount of time Megan was here, she has forever changed the way I will coach/think and she definitely has made an impact on our players & team culture moving forward.”
“We didn’t have a practice session on the floor afterwards, but our players lifted and signed our speed signs and she took time to watch and cheer the team on. It was such an honor to have Megan here to share her story!”
Vogel, who was an All-State player for the Saints and graduated from SPHS in 2003, played collegiately at South Dakota State University, and was drafted by the Washington Mystics of the WNBA in 2007 after her college career was over. She then moved on to college coaching with stints at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, St. Cloud State, and MSU-Mankato. She was hired by the Mercury prior to the 2024 season and helped lead Phoenix to the WNBA Finals this past season.
Vogel was recently inducted into the Saint Peter Public Schools’ Hall of Fame, and is scheduled to be recognized during the Saints’ girls basketball team’s home game vs. Kasson-Mantorville on Monday, Dec. 22.
