Drewann Pancratz gets early start at Leyden
Her parents have been coaches nearly all their lives.
Now Drewann Pancratz gets her chance. And she is getting an early start.
At 22 years old, Pancratz will be one of the youngest varsity coaches in the state. The former Schaumburg High School volleyball and basketball standout has been named the head girls basketball coach at Leyden.
Pancratz, who will graduate on May 20 from Carthage College, will also teach physical education at Leyden and serve as an assistant in the girls volleyball program.
“I couldn’t be more excited,” Pancratz said. “Teaching and coaching has always been my dream job.”
She is currently student teaching at Fremd and assisting in coach Curt Pinley’s boys volleyball program.
“I can not thank him (Pinley) enough for allowing me to be a part of his program this year,” Pancratz said. “He does a tremendous job with the boys and I have learned so much from him thus far.”
Leyden girls will be learning from quite an athlete. Pancratz was the 2007 Daily Herald all-area honorary captain while playing setter for four years for her mother Jeanette’s girls volleyball team at Schaumburg.
Drewann Pancratz set career school records for most assists, most service points and attack efficiency while winning one sectional and three regional crowns.
She was also an all-area basketball guard, playing on three straight sectional finalist teams coached by Bill Murmann. She averaged 12.4 points her senior year with 3.9 rebounds, 107 assists and 73 steals and finished with 1,171 career points and a school-record 355 assists.
Jeanette Pancratz is a longtime physical education teacher at Schaumburg and Drewann’s father Andy is a former all-state basketball player at Hersey who went on to star for Ray Meyer at DePaul. He used to teach social studies before going into sales.
“Both my parents have been coaches my entire life,” Drewann Pancratz said. “My dad has always coached my brothers (Mark, Zach and Jake, standout basketball players for Schaumburg) and me in our little league sports, feeder teams, AAU teams and park district teams.”
Suffice it to say, Pancratz’s parents have played a major role in their daughter’s athletic career.
“My parents have had a great influence on my career path,” she said. “They have always been supportive in whatever I wanted to pursue as a career. Seeing the tremendous impact they have had on my friends and teammates in coaching and teaching has had such a positive impact on my life.”
Pancratz was an American Volleyball Coaches Association honorable mention all-American at Carthage and first-team All-Midwest Region selection last fall.
She set a Carthage match-record with 61 assists in five sets against Wheaton.
“My mother is truly my greatest role model, and the hardest working person I know,” Drewann said. “She is one of the most successful coaches (more than 700 wins) in the state, as well as a member of the National Board of Education for teaching. Her passion and strong desire to impact students and athletes in a positive matter has only influenced me more and more to pursue this career.
“Both of my parents have always kept my brothers and I extremely active growing up and involved in athletics, and they have emphasized the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.”
Pancratz, who turns 23 in December, can’t wait to take over the Eagles’ basketball program.
“I truly enjoy working with students and hope some day I can impact my students and athletes in a positive matter that will stay with them forever,” she said. “I am extremely honored, blessed, and grateful for this wonderful opportunity I have in front of me and am proud to say I am a Leyden Eagle.”