UPDATE: Falls Hires Leffel As Boys Varsity Basketball Coach; Tokoto Staying

Dan Leffel was selected to be the boys basketball coach at Menomonee Falls High School, athletic director Dave Petroff said Monday, and he will have J.P. Tokoto on the team as well for the 2011-12 season.        

Leffel replaces Ben Siebert, who resigned in March. Leffel, who teaches science at  North Middle School, had been the freshman coach at Menomonee Falls.        

The Indians will have two returning starters for next season, forward Tokoto and guard CJ Malone.  Leffel is also counting on contributions from Kevin Meyers, James Ulicki and Brandon Ramey, who were varsity reserves last season.

Tokoto's father told the JSOnline that he would indeed attend next year after considering options such as prep school.

“We will rely on JP and CJ a lot,” Leffel said. “But I’m also excited about trying to develop some of the other players.  We’re also going to count on some of the JV guys. They made great strides last year. They showed me a lot.”

After 12 seasons as an assistant coach, Leffel will get an opportunity to run his own show.

“I’m really excited about getting this opportunity,” Leffel said Monday. “It has been a goal of mine to coach in the same district that I teach in. This is a dream come true.”

Leffel has been a part of the Falls basketball program since 2005. He served as an assistant varsity coach for three years and has spent the last three years as the freshman coach. Before coming to Menomonee Falls, Leffel was an assistant varsity basketball coach at Wauwatosa West High School and an assistant coach at Wisconsin Lutheran College.

Leffel, 34, is a 1994 graduate of Greenfield High School and a 1999 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran. He played basketball at both schools.

He takes over a team that started the 2010-‘11 season with high expectations, but ended up a disappointing 11-12 last season.

Leffel said he plans to make some changes both offensively and defensively next season.

“I thought we were a little bit too predictable last season,” Leffel said. “I think we relied too much on the dribble drive. I want to use a motion offense, to use screens and picks to get our guys open.  On defense, I like to play aggressively. We’re going to press full court, whether it’s zone or man to man. We’re going to switch it up a lot more.”

Siebert met with MFHS Athletic and Activities Director David Petroff in March to inform him of his decision to step down as head coach. Petroff said Siebert cited personal reasons as the motivation behind the decision.

Siebert finished with a 47-25 record in his three seasons as coach at Menomonee Falls. That includes a 11-12 record this past season, which included a first-round loss to Waukesha South in the WIAA regional. Siebert teaches math at the high school.