Michael Zasada has traded the soccer pitch for the basketball court.
The former Canton boys soccer head coach was hired April 20 as the new Little Giants girls basketball head coach. He replaces Maribeth Dura, who retired in March after four seasons, including a 25-win campaign highlighted by a 2024 Class 2A regional championship.
Zasada, who works for Woods Equipment, had spent the previous three years running the Canton boys soccer program. Previously, he was a varsity assistant and JV boys basketball coach for four seasons on Hunter Rhodes’ coaching staff.
“I threw my name in the hat,” Zasada told the Journal Star, “because I was looking to get back into basketball. I was fortunate enough to get the job. … For me, my heart’s always been in basketball, so I’m super excited to get back on the hardwood and bring my coaching abilities to the girls basketball program.”
He says it wasn’t an easy decision to step away from soccer because it “holds a very special place in my heart” and “super hard to walk away from those guys.”
“Basketball is my passion,” Zasada said of what he told the soccer team. “… I have a heck of a lot more basketball knowledge than I do soccer. … It was just a hard opportunity to pass up.”
After graduating from McHenry East HS in 2004, Zasada went on to play for Eureka College. He was named the 2010 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year following a senior season where he averaged 21.4 points and 9.9 rebounds.
There, he played for current EC head coach Chip Wilde, who is playing mentor to the first-time varsity coach.
“He is definitely a guy I lean on when it comes to coaching advice,” Zasada said. “He’s probably one of the smartest Xs and Os coaches I’ve ever been around, so I definitely began to already pick his brain about some things and figure out it how he does things.”
Canton finished 16-16 overall and 5-9 in Mid-Illini Conference play during the 2025-26 campaign. Four seniors graduated for the Little Giants, including team MVP Emma Turner. Junior Ava Gaines earned all-Mid-Illini second-team honors and is expected to return.
“I’ll be interested to see with what we have,” Zasada said. “… There’s isn’t a lot of varsity minutes coming back, so it will be interesting to see how the girls respond to the opportunity. People are going to have to step up.”
According to Zasada, he will emphasize toughness and doing all the “little things right” as part of his coaching style.
“It will be a brand of basketball where we’ll pride ourselves on defense,” Zasada said, “getting on the floor for loose balls, rebounding. That type of stuff to give us a chance, because the Mid-Illini is so tough.”
Canton will attend the summer league at Illinois Central College. An Illinois Wesleyan shootout and a few other college team camps are on the schedule.
However, the work to another successful season starts with offseason workouts.
“We need to get back to the basics,” he said, “and there needs to be a heavier emphasis on fundamentals, so we will be in the gym all summer. … The overall quality of basketball player needs to be brought up from just a fundamental skill standpoint, so that is going to be the things that I need to be hammering in.
“We’re going to set the expectation and the tone early. I’m super excited.”
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Eureka College hall of famer takes over Canton girls basketball
Reporting by Adam Duvall, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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