Glenwood Demons coach Rhonda Moser nabs 100th career win

John Stroud/Post Independent
At least someone was keeping track. Rhonda Moser certainly had no idea when she left courtside.
Moser is Glenwood Springs girls basketball’s accredited head coach. Jordan DeCrow is her fastidious assistant coach.
“I was completely shocked and taken off guard after the game,” Moser said. “Jordan DeCrow really pays attention to details.”
Following the Demons’ 46-39 away win over Erie on Monday night, DeCrow informed Moser of a new benchmark: Moser’s 100th career win as a head coach.
Moser, understandably surprised, relayed this message to her team, which Moser emphasized hadn’t beat Erie since this year’s Demons seniors were freshmen.
“They were all super supportive,” Moser said of her players. “Wins are great and obviously as a coach you want to be successful. But really it’s about the relationships and bonds that are created.”
Moser has led Demons girls basketball since 2015, and has so far accrued 100 wins and 67 losses as head coach. To boot, there are still 14 regular-season games remaining in the 2022-23 season. The schedule resumes Jan. 4 with a game against Green Mountain.

Chelsea Self / Post Independent
Nabbing so many wins is one thing. On the flipside, Moser actually appreciates and values defeat. They’re lessons on how to improve, she notes.
In fact, Moser’s first two seasons as head coach ended below .500. But this didn’t deter Moser, as she helped turn the 2017-18 season into a winning one. Demons campaigns have since then all ended with their heads above water.
“When you lose, it creates growth,” Moser said. “That’s what we’re looking for right now.”
Some pretty special moments have punctuated Moser’s career over the past 100 games. One stellar performance Moser remembers is when Glenwood, on senior night, finally bested Rifle, a team that for years essentially dominated the Western Slope under the tutelage of former Bears head coach Kristy Wallner.
Moser also fondly remembers the Demon Invite from 2017, when Glenwood captured a hard-fought win over Faith Christian.
“That was when Faith Christian was at the top of their game,” Moser said. “We hit a three-point buzzer beater to go into overtime.
“That was pretty fun.”
But it was coaching Glenwood girls basketball during COVID-19 that stands out quite a bit for Moser. Not only did her players play through some of the most unique times to ever hit high school basketball, they still overcame to win a league championship and later beat Weld Central in the Sweet 16 via postseason.
“You look back on those challenging moments and you think of all the adversity,” she said. “To wear a mask to play basketball, who would’ve thought?
“Man, that was a big win.”
One of Moser’s ultimate goals moving forward is joining powerhouse teams like Durango and Montrose to prove to the rest of Colorado that Western Slope basketball is now a force to be reckoned with.
“We’re all sitting in top 12 in the state,” she said. “When I first started, this wasn’t always the case.”
To do so means Moser guiding Glenwood Springs girls basketball to their fourth consecutive Western Slope League championship, now playing at the 5A level under this year’s reorganized classifications.
“This group of seniors has worked really hard,” Moser said. “They really, really want that four-peat. I want them to have a league championship every year they are in high school, and they want to compete deeper in the state playoffs.”
The Demons stand at 7-2 heading into the holiday break. Prior to Monday they lost 50-42 to Wyoming’s Campbell County on Saturday. Moser wants this loss to lead to more wins.
Moser graduated from Basalt High School in 1989 and obtained her undergraduate degree from Northern Colorado in Greeley. Also a former U.S. Navy officer, Moser has owned a Glenwood Springs law practice since 2004.

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