Russell to take over D-C girls basketball

Michelle Russell, the all-time leading scorer in Dundee-Crown girls basketball history, was named Tuesday to take over as the program's new head coach.

Russell replaces Joe Komaromy, the only coach the program has had in the 25 years since Dundee and Crown high schools merged. Komaromy, an inductee to both the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame as well as the Dundee-Crown Athletic Hall of Fame, retired with a record of 450-268. D-C finished 11-16 this past season but during Komaromy's tenure had 20 straight winning seasons.

Russell, also an inductee to the D-C Hall of Fame, scored 1,718 points in her Chargers career before going on to play at Valparaiso University. She is a fifth grade teacher at Westfield Middle School and has been Dundee-Crown's sophomore coach the past 7 years after spending one season as the program's freshman coach.

"Joe Komaromy is a legend and there's no way anyone can step in and replace him and everything he brought to this program and to the school for over 25 years," said Russell. "His are such big shoes to fill. I'm excited and I'm nervous. It's a lot of responsibility but I'm looking forward to it."

In making the announcement, D-C principal Lynn McCarthy said she too was happy to have Russell stepping into the head coaching position.

"We're excited to be offering her the position," McCarthy said in a voice mail message. "She's a Dundee-Crown graduate and it's like coming home for her to be taking over the program."

Russell was selected from a handful of applicants and said when offered the job she knew for sure she wanted it.

"It was something I wasn't sure if I wanted until it was staring me in the face but moving up from the sophomore level is the right step to take."

Russell said she's never had an interest in being a head coach anywhere but her alma mater.

"I wouldn't want to do it anywhere else and I wouldn't do it anywhere else," she said.

"Joe ran this program like the back of his hand and you just hope to come in and do your best and produce winning seasons. I'll do my best to keep the program going strong."

Komaromy said the school has the right person to move the program forward.

"I think Russ will do a real good job," he said of his former student and player. "There is no doubt she knows basketball. But what strikes me the most about her is that she's a very caring person. She cares about the kids and she wants the kids to be successful.. The X's and O's and the wins and losses will take care of themselves but I know she'll always look out for the best interests of the kids and that's really her strength.

"She's a competitor and she'll instill her competitiveness into the kids. To me it was a no-brainer."

Even though Russell doesn't teach in the building, McCarthy is hoping she can use her middle school employment to benefit the program, which has been down some in numbers recently and will be revamped again in 2008-09 with District 300's new boundaries.

"We're hoping she can reach out to the other middle schools and build the program back up again," McCarthy said. "It will be a little daunting for her, filling Joe's shoes, but we're excited to have her."