St. Francis chooses familiar name as girls basketball coach

St. Francis has reached into its past to lead its girls basketball program into the future.

The school on Thursday announced the hiring of Jeff Gerdeman as new head varsity coach. A faculty member and St. Francis alumnus, Gerdeman compiled a 79-40 record from 1998-2002 with three Suburban Catholic Conference championships and three regional titles.

"I am extremely excited about the opportunity to return to the St. Francis program," Gerdeman said in a press release. "I look forward to building upon our program's reputation for competitiveness and sportsmanship."