West’s Fishman: ‘When I stop having fun … my butt will be on a beach’

Lakota West High School girls basketball coach Andy Fishman is trying to drive his team back to the Division I state tournament. And he’s doing it his way.

The Firebirds are 25-2 and will meet 23-3 Mason for a regional championship at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Fairmont’s Trent Arena. So the Greater Miami Conference will be represented in Columbus one way or the other.

REGIONAL SEMIFINAL: Lakota West 60, Walnut Hills 31

DISTRICT FINAL: Lakota West 53, Fairmont 29

Three Fishman teams have made it to state: 2008, 2009 and 2015. The third trip resulted in a state title.

Fishman has an animated style on the sidelines that he makes no apologies for. He sees himself as all in, and when that ceases to be the case, that likely will be the end of the line for the only girls hoop head coach West has ever had (the school opened in 1997-98).

“When I stop having fun doing this, my butt will be on a beach,” Fishman said. “Until then, I’m going to get every ounce of energy out of myself and every young lady that steps on the court for us.”