Former Garden Spot standout replaces Landis on Spartans’ boys’ varsity bench

Ryan Trupe, who helped make bleached-blond hair a fashion craze in New Holland not too long ago, has been named the head basketball coach at his alma mater.

Trupe, a standout athlete for Garden Spot who went on to play basketball for Alvernia, is the Spartans’ new head boys’ basketball coach, replacing Ryan Landis, who stepped down following this past season.

Trupe was a key cog for Garden Spot’s 1998-99 team, which gained notoriety around the league when all the kids on the team bleached their hair blond. You might remember Curtis Waltman and Chad Heller from that team, which reached the state playoffs.

Waltman went on to play for football for Villanova and is now the football coach at Pequea Valley. Heller went on to star for Elizabethtown College’s basketball team, helping the Blue Jays make the NCAA Tournament.

Trupe is hoping to get things turned around in New Holland, where he has been on the staff the last four seasons as a varsity boys’ assistant.

The Spartans went 25-63 the past four seasons, including a 2-14 mark in Section 2 and 3-17 overall record last winter. Garden Spot did make the District 3 playoffs in 2006 and qualified for the L-L League playoffs in 2007.

But the team will be looking to snap back after finishing 14 games under .500 in 2008-09.

“I’m definitely excited for the opportunity to coach at Garden Spot,” Trupe said. “I think any time you get a chance to coach for the high school that you attended and played for at one time is a great honor. I’ve had the chance to do that as a varsity assistant for the last four seasons, and now I get to do it as head coach. I’ve already met with the players and parents to set the vision that I have for Garden Spot basketball, and now I’m anxious to get into our off-season to begin putting in the work needed to accomplish this.”