Poulin named new St. Charles North coach

If you're looking for Tom Poulin next March, there's a strong probability that you'll be able to find him inside the gymnasium at St. Charles North.

Poulin, who will be beginning his fifth season as the North Stars' boys varsity basketball coach this fall, was recently named by athletic director Dan Dolney to take over as St. Charles North's varsity softball coach - replacing April Stary, who announced her resignation from the post earlier this summer.

"It's a situation similar to basketball where I'm just fortunate to even have been considered for the position," said Poulin, who guided the North Stars basketball team to a sectional championship appearance two years ago.

Poulin will inherit a senior-dominated team that captured its second consecutive Upstate Eight Conference title and earned a No. 1 sectional seed last season before a stunning 8-7 loss to York in the opening round of the Class 4A regional tournament.

"It was a great lesson to be learned and it'll be a good starting point for us," said Poulin, who has served as a varsity assistant softball coach the past 3 years. "It'll be in everybody's heads. I don't want them to forget the feeling they had (after the regional loss) but we also want to move forward."

Poulin realizes the abundance of talent his team figures to possess in 2011.

"It was a pleasure to work under April (Stary) and continue to build what she started," he said. "This team is something special. We could be as good as anybody in the state."