SLIPPERY ROCK — When former Slippery Rock High School girls basketball coach John Tabisz went looking for an assistant coach, he was seeking his own replacement at the same time.

“I knew I wasn’t going to be doing this forever,” he said.

Tabisz had just agreed to a third stint as SR’s girls coach. That was in 2013.

Amber McFeely Osborn, a Grove City High School and Slippery Rock University graduate, was out of coaching at the time. She had served as a volunteer assistant under Laurel Heilman for a couple of years at SRU after her own playing career ended.

“When my playing days were almost over, I knew I couldn’t leave the game,” Osborn said. “I loved it too much. I approached Coach Heilman about helping her out.

“I was fortunate. She actually let me coach. A lot of volunteer positions like that, all they let you do is keep track of fouls or something.”

Then Osborn’s father took ill. And her own family was growing. Osborn and her husband, Doug, are parents of five children between the ages of seven and six months.

“I needed to be with family, so I didn’t coach for about three years,” Osborn said. “Then I saw Slippery Rock was looking for an assistant. I had just had my fourth child and I was ready to get back into coaching.”

Tabisz wanted to make sure it was for the long term.

“I asked her if she wanted to become a head coach and she said yes,” Tabisz said. “That was all I needed to hear.

“Amber has been told her whole basketball life she was too small — too small to be a big scorer in high school, too small to play in college ... She spent years working to prove people wrong.

“She developed a bit of a chip on her shoulder. People with those chips make good coaches. That desire and passion never leaves them.”

Tabisz coached for three years in his final stint on the job, announcing his retirement after last season.

“Just like Laurel, he let me coach. He groomed me to take over. I can’t begin to tell you how much I learned from John Tabisz,” Osborn said.

While the head coaching position was posted by the school and interviews took place, Tabisz was hoping Osborn would land the job.

“A lot of people know ball, but they can’t teach it,” he said. “She can teach it. She knows how to break things down for the kids.

“Some schools won’t hire someone like her, a person in her early 30s without much experience. But Amber’s limited in where she can go. With such a large family, she can’t drive 25 miles away every day to coach somewhere. That wasn’t going to work.”

It didn’t need to. Slippery Rock was more than happy to give her a shot.

“It was a no-brainer, really,” SR athletic director John Osborne said. “Amber knows the girls and has been great with them. And what better role model? She’s a living example of what hard work and determination can do.”

After leading Grove City to a Mercer County Athletic Conference championship and becoming a three-time MCAC all-star in high school, Osborn became SRU’s all-time assist leader before graduating from The Rock.

Her mother, Sally McFeely, used to work at the Grove City YMCA, which is where Osborn learned basketball.

“She used to tag along there with me. She started playing when she was 5,” Mrs. McFeely recalled. “She played ball with the boys on the court. They saw how much she loved it and they let her play.

“Playing basketball with the boys when she was young helped make her such a good player.”

Osborn’s parents joyfully followed her career.

“They never missed a game of mine in high school or college,” Osborn said. “I always had that support group.”

She still does.

A stay at home mom, Osborn has to be at practice before her husband gets home from work. Her mother watches the kids during the interim.

Then Osborn’s husband and mother pack up the kids and go to every Slippery Rock game, home and away. They haven’t missed one this season.

“I’ve enjoyed watching her coach more than watching her play,” Mrs.McFeely admitted. “She loves it so much.”

She’s succeeding, too. Slippery Rock is 17-4 on the year, won the District 10 Region 5 title, is riding a five-game win streak and has a first-round bye in the District 10 playoffs.

And her kids are her biggest fans. They don Slippery Rock shirts with the phrase “The dream is free. The hustle is sold separately” scripted across the back.

“It’s busy, but we would never miss this,” Doug Osborn said of watching his wife’s team play. “The kids are into it. They are (Osborn’s) own personal rooting section.”

Doug played high school basketball himself at Fort LeBeouf.

“I love the game and it’s Amber’s passion. I can see her doing this for a long, long time,” he said.

Osborn hopes to be doing it at Slippery Rock.

“I’ll be here as long as they’ll have me,” she said. “I’m not planning on going anywhere.

“After every game, my kids come on the court, dribble their basketballs and shoot. I can see them growing up on the game in this gym. I would love that.”

Just as much as she loves winning.

“We’ve got eight seniors and that’s been a blessing for me while making this transition to head coach,” Osborn said. “I coached those girls in JV. My first year here was their freshmen year.

“They trust me and I trust them. That’s what it takes.”