04/21/2020 –Owasso Public Schools has named Tobey Nightingale as the new head girls basketball coach at Owasso High School, Executive Director of Athletics Zach Duffield announced on Tuesday.
Nightingale comes to Owasso following successful stints as the head girls basketball coach at Sand Springs (2018-19) and Hennessey (2017-18). The Sapulpa native also spent time as an assistant coach at Skiatook (2010-11).
“The Owasso Athletic Department is thrilled to have Tobey Nightingale lead the girls’ basketball program,” Duffield said. “This program has been very successful in the past and Coach Nightingale will continue to build on those achievements and work to raise the bar. We feel that through Coach Nightingale’s leadership, our student-athletes will continue to develop the values of hard work, dedication, commitment and selfless service. These are traits that will follow them through life and make them better people. Coach Nightingale’s success as a player, both in high school and college, coupled with her experience as a coach is a perfect fit for the Owasso Lady Rams basketball program.”
“I am very excited about this opportunity and look forward to continuing to build on the strong tradition of the Lady Rams basketball program,” Nightingale said. “I am ready to get started and have high expectations for the future of the program.”
Nightingale’s Lady Sandites excelled on the court during the 2018-19 campaign as the squad finished with a 21-5 record and advanced to the state tournament following Frontier Conference, Regional and Area championships. Sand Springs went undefeated at home and in conference play, while the team also notched a top-5 ranking in the state. A pair of Nightingale’s student-athletes obtained NCAA Division I scholarships, while another earned a scholarship at the NCAA Division II level.
Nightingale helped reshape the program in her lone season at Hennessey, as she redefined the mentality of the team. Her emphasis on breaking down the game and enhancing the team’s basketball IQ resulted in an improved record from the previous season.
As a player, Nightingale (then Tobey Beer) was a standout in her own right, as she was a four-year letter-winner and four-time All-Frontier Conference honoree at Sapulpa. She helped lead the Lady Chieftans to the state tournament all four seasons of her prep career, where she earned All-Tournament Team accolades each year.
Additionally, Nightingale was an All-State honoree by the OGBCA and OCA, while she also was tabbed a BCI All-American and McDonald’s All-America nominee.
Nightingale was a two-year letter-winner at UMKC before concluding her collegiate career at Southwestern Oklahoma State, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Parks & Recreational Management in 2010.
