Haugens returns quickly - at Hampshire
Ed Haugens' sabbatical from the girls basketball game didn't last long.
Haugens, who resigned his position in mid-February as Jacobs' girls basketball coach after 7 seasons on the bench, was named Hampshire's girls basketball coach Wednesday.
Haugens replaces Sue Ellett, who stepped down in March after 7 seasons as head coach.
"I'm real excited," said Haugens, who will turn 35 on July 15. "It's a great challenge. There is a lot of tradition and history behind Hampshire. They've had a lot of great players go through there. I felt it was definitely an opportunity and change that doesn't come along very often. I wanted to take advantage of it."
Haugens got the itch to return to the sidelines rather quickly.
"When I resigned at Jacobs I thought I would take some time off," said Haugens, who will teach mathematics at Hampshire, like Jacobs a member of District 300. "For 4 months I've done nothing but teach. I got the urge again. This is something that doesn't come along very often. It's rejuvenated me. I'm excited about this opportunity and am very thankful to (Hampshire principal) Mr. (Chuck) Bumbales and (Hampshire athletic director) Mr. (Dave) Hicks for this."
At Jacobs, Haugens compiled a 150-65 record in 7 seasons. His 2009-2010 team went 26-7 and won a share of the program's first girls basketball conference championship-finishing tied for the top spot with Cary-Grove.
The Golden Eagles won 3 regional titles under his watch and advanced to the Class AA state quarterfinals in 2004. Haugens is one of only two coaches (former girls soccer coach John Bardin is the other-3 state quarterfinals appearances) to lead a Jacobs traditional team sport to a state finals appearance in the 35-year history of the Algonquin school.
"Ed Haugens is a veteran coach who is well-known and respected in the area," Hicks said in a school-issued press release. "His experience in the Fox Valley Conference will be a great resource when we move to the FVC (starting with the 2011-2012 season). He is a hard-worker with a pan to ensure the continued success of girls' basketball at Hampshire High School. He has hit the ground running to prepare our girls for summer activities."
Haugens will inherit a Hampshire team coming off a 29-2 season that included a sectional championship appearance. Under Milt Awe and Ellett, who was previously Awe's assistant, Hampshire won a combined 535 games in 24 years, qualified for state three times and brought home a pair of state trophies (including a Class A state runner-up finish in 2004-the same year Haugens directed Jacobs to the Class AA quarterfinals). Awe and Ellett had 1 losing season between them since 1986 and lost 5 or less games 10 times in the last 24 years.
"I appreciate my time at Jacobs. It was a great experience and we had great kids," said Haugens. "But it was a change I felt I needed to make. I'm extremely excited about being at Hampshire."
Haugens said his wife, Melissa (nee Tarrant), a former girls basketball standout at Dundee-Crown who went on to play collegiately at Division I Youngstown State, will be on the Hampshire coaching staff, but her exact role has yet to be determined. Melissa Haugens was Hampshire's freshman girls coach last season. She also teaches math at Hampshire.
"She's one heck of a coach," said Haugens. "I've had a chance to watch her up close. She does a great job with the kids."
Haugens also announced a pair of girls youth camps through the Hampshire Park District will be held at Hampshire High School with Haugens' staff conducting the camps. A middle-school camp for players in grades 5-8 will be held June 21 through July 1 (M-TR) from 10-11:30 a.m. The camp for players in grades 9-12 will be held June 14 through July 1 (M-TR) from 8-10 a.m. Call 847-683-2690 for registration information.