Green Bay introduces Karius as women’s new basketball coach | Fox 11

GREEN BAY (WLUK) — Kayla Karius is right where she wants to be, home.

After leaving Green Bay after her senior season in 2010-11, in which Green Bay reached the Sweet 16 for the only time in program history, Karius has returned with a new last name and job.

Earlier this week the former Kayla Tetschlag was named the fourth head coach in Green Bay women’s basketball program history and Thursday the former Phoenix player held her introductory press conference and no doubt is excited to be in her new position.

“Very different with this transition,” she said. “I think you’re on a different side of it. I left here as a player and you certainly see that side of it at that point. Now you’re on the coaching side and there’s different decisions that have to me be made that you weren’t making before, and at the same time so many familiar faces are here, the fan base that’s here.

“And like I said, the fans truly become family here. What’s cool on top of it is to have the success of the program remain the same and have the chance to go higher in the future.”

Karius, who spent the last two seasons at South Dakota, where she compiled a 37-29 record in her first head coaching stint, has had a favorable impression on her new team, which held a recent workout.

“She seems like a great leader, a great coach,” junior Cassie Schiltz said. “I’ve heard awesome things about here. Obviously she led the team to the Sweet 16 so she’s determined, so I think she’s going to be a great coach here and help us get to new levels.”

“When coach (Kevin Borseth) retired that was a really big unknown and that made us all have a lot of emotions come out, but having Kayla come in is a great thing,” junior Maddy Schreiber said. “She’s been here, she knows the Green Bay way and she’s going to be a great leader here.”

Green Bay has had a winning season every year since the 1977-78 season and reached the Sweet 16 in 2011. Knowing the success the Phoenix have had what is the ceiling with this program?

“That’s a great question,” said Karius, who played for the Phoenix from 2007-11. “I don’t think you put a ceiling on it. When our group came in there was a lot of excitement and you just didn’t really know what that could look like.

“We continued to raise the bar with that at-large bid and then you continue to go on and win a second-round game against Michigan State, get to the Sweet 16. I don’t think anyone there decided that was going to be the ending point for this program, so this is a place that competes without ceilings every day.”

Karius follows in the footsteps of Carol Hammerle, Kevin Borseth and Matt Bollant, who all had extreme success. The former Sheboygan North star was recruited by Borseth, but played for Bollant after Borseth left to take the Michigan position.

Now she returns and Borseth leaves again, but this time he retired.

“So how do you replace a legend?” Karius asked. “Well, you don’t, you move forward with the same program with a similar identity but of course a different leader and a different voice.

“We will continue to be all the things that Green Bay is about. We’ll have toughness, grittiness, we’ll play hard-nosed defense, fundamentals in basketball with a killer instinct and a will to win every single day.”

NOTABLE

• Three players have committed to Green Bay since Wednesday including Oostburg sophomore twins Ady and Riley Ketterhagen, who are 5-9 guards. Ady averaged 21.4 points per game last season and was the Big East South player of the Year, while Riley averaged 17.3 ppg. Karius had offered each as coach at South Dakota.

• Also committing was Lakeland Union junior Kristian Ouimette (6-1), who was second in the state last season in 3-pointers made (106). Neenah’s Allie Ziebell led the state with 122. She was also 9th in the state in scoring at 27 ppg. Ouimette’s sister Julianna announced she is transferring to Green Bay after one season at Lehigh. She scored 2,000 career points during her high school career.

Source: Green Bay introduces Karius as women’s new basketball coach