Wheeling names Hernandez new girls basketball coach

Wheeling athletic director Steve May was able to find his new girls basketball coach in the same place where the former one resides.

The school's math department.

Ever since Julissa Hernandez played at Lake Park, she wanted to be a head high school girls basketball coach.

The former Daily Herald All-Area guard didn't have to wait long.

Just 24 years old, Hernandez will be the youngest coach in the Mid-Suburban League.

She has been selected to direct the program at Wheeling High School, where she has served as an assistant to head coach Shelly Wiegel for the past two years.

"We are very excited to have Julissa as our next varsity coach," May said. "I believe she will be able to help Wheeling continue to be a premier girls basketball program in the MSL and the state. She is very passionate about the game."

Hernandez replaces Wiegel, also a math teacher, who engineered one of the state's most successful programs in recent year.

After taking over on 2004, Wiegel compiled a 163-28 record, including the last three MSL championships, four regional crowns and a third-place finish in the 2009 Class 4A tourney.

"I never thought it would work out this way," said Hernandez, who also played basketball for two years at the University of Missouri-Rolla and then got her degree in mathematics from the University of Illinois. "I thought I'd go back one day to coach at Lake Park.

"I'm definitely surprised it happened this soon, but the opportunity came so I definitely jumped on it. I didn't expect it this soon but I still feel like I'm ready."

Hernandez plans to change a few things, but many philosophies will remain the same.

"I think the biggest thing is that just because it's a new coach, the expectations will not change," Hernandez said. "I don't want anyone thinking because we have graduated players and a coach who are gone that now we expect to lose. We don't want that mentality at all."

Defense is a big part of Hernandez's mentality.

"Defense all the way," she said. "The biggest things on my high school teams (coached by Lisa Smith) was playing with the mentality that you do not let the player you are guarding score. I don't think that mentality exists enough today.

"When I played, I never cared how many points I scored. Instead it was all about holding your person to zero points."

Hernandez said the expectations and work ethic from when Wiegel ran the program will remain the same.

"Those are the same principles I value," said Hernandez, who helped lead Lake Park to a sectional crown over Rolling Meadows her senior year and then lost to Candace Parker's Naperville Central team in the Elgin supersectional. "I had two years to learn in one of the best programs in the state and under one of the best coaches."

Hernandez plans to run a summer camp and keep the Wildcats competing in the Maine West summer league.

"Julissa's enthusiasm and love of the game are great attributes," May said. "The fact that she has been in the program will help with the transition. Shelly did a great job building our program and Julissa is more than ready to keep it going."