A new coach, a new conference, and a new leading scorer, there are a lot of things shaking up for the Lady Indians. Despite all of these changes, the team looks to build on their season last year, where they made it to the second round of the playoffs.
“Our goals for this season are to work together and adjust when needed. It is important for us to stay positive despite all the changes this season,” Senior Guard Becca Bartol said.
With the loss of Head Coach Ray Mlada last season, and interim Head Coach Lisa Kurzeck not deciding to come back, it left the head coach position empty heading into the summer. Former Appleton North Coach Eric Hacker interviewed for and was offered the job; Hacker’s decision was obvious.
“Having previously coached at Berlin and knowing the school, it was an easy yes…the community and administration’s support and backing for our student athletes is amazing, and getting a chance to come back and work with so many familiar faces was an added bonus,” Hacker said.
Despite entering his first season as the Head Coach for the Lady Indians, Coach Hacker got some of his earliest experience at Berlin as an assistant coach. He even brought one of his former athletes, Julia Krebs ’16, to become this year’s assistant coach.
“My coaching journey has included working on some of the best coaching staffs in the state and learning from some amazing mentors along the way. I most recently worked with an extremely talented group of coaches at Appleton North and really enjoyed my time there.” Hacker said. “Very Interesting fact, I had the pleasure of coaching at Berlin as a Varsity Assistant with Coach Brandl while my assistant Julia Krebs was a senior.”
As for what Hacker is looking to bring to the team, it’s intensity on both sides of the ball with a focus on being sound with the basics.
“We have really put the main focus on getting fundamentally better. Creating basketball players that are tough to play against and fun to play with. As I’ve heard Coach Lepisto at Kimberly say, creating a “Next Play” mentality and embracing failure and learning from it are culturally the focus for us,” Hacker said.
Not only is there a new coach, but there is also a scoring hole in the roster. Last year, Callie Kurzeck ‘25 scored just over 40% of the team’s points, a gap that the team believes they can fill with a more proportional offense.
“With Callie gone this year, it means that everyone is going to have to contribute in all areas, on defense and offense. There will definitely be more of a balance this season instead of heavily relying on Callie’s talents,” Bartol said.
This gap will also be much easier to fill thanks to the addition of a very strong freshman class led by guard Ahzayla Bell. Bell made the varsity team as a freshman and is working hard to mesh with the new coach, as well as the experienced seniors.
“I’d say I’ve built a connection with Lakelyn because she helps me with everything when I have a question. She and Becca are the biggest leaders on the team,” Bell said. “I’m creating a big connection with Coach Hacker; he pushes me outside of my comfort zone, which is making me a much better player.”
As this year’s sports teams are all changing conferences, the girls are looking to make a splash in the new South Central Conference, which many players say is a welcome relief from the perennially state-contending ECC. Their first game is on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at home, and their first conference game is also at home on Friday, Nov 21.
