Scouting Jacobs girls basketball

Jacobs Golden Eagles

Coach: Keith Chuipek (1st season)

Conference: Fox Valley (Valley)

2009-2010 record: 24-7 (9-1 FVC Valley)

Top returning players: Senior Melanie Schwerdtmann (5-10)

Key newcomers: Juniors Lauren Grady (5-10, F), Lindsey Larson (6-1), Jessica Tennant (5-10, F)

Outlook: Chuipek is no stranger to Jacobs. He coached at all three boys levels for nine years before becoming the head boys coach for 4 years at St. Edward (he stepped down from that post after last season). Chuipek takes over for Ed Haugens, who has shifted over to sister district school Hampshire. Chuipek takes over a team that graduated its top 6 players from last year's 24-win team that won an FVC division title.

"We're pretty inexperienced," said Chuipek. "Nobody started last year. We've got good size and we're athletic and have some good skill. Once we get everything together, we're going to grow as a team. Once these girls play more varsity minutes, I think we have a chance to be fairly good." Chuipek is shifting to more of a man-to-man defense this season. "The senior group has never played man-to-man here. It's a process getting it installed and then going out and playing good help defense." One major benefit is Chuipek has none numerous girls on the team since their grade-school days at Kenneth E. Neubert Elementary (now a hop-skip-and-a-jump across Randall Road from Jacobs). Chuipek teaches at Neubert.

"These girls all have good attitudes and they all seem to like each other," said Chuipek. "I've known a lot of them since they were five and six years old. We'll see who fits in where and who steps up and we'll go from there. I think we have a chance to be pretty good." Grady is a transfer from Marian Central, while Larson transferred from Dundee-Crown.