North embracing fresh start

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St. Charles North girls varsity basketball coach Colleen Brennan talks to her team during tryouts on Monday. Sandy Bressner – sbressner@kcchronicle.com

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ST. CHARLES – The Kelsey Smith era is finally over at St. Charles North, and that’s not all that has changed.

Add in a new coach, and perhaps no area girls basketball team was sifting through more upheaval than the North Stars on Monday when preseason girls basketball workouts began statewide.

Colleen Brennan is North’s new coach, replacing Katie Sauber, while the 6-foot-4 Smith is off to Michigan State after dominating in the post for four years at North.

North senior point guard Kiley Hackbarth is embracing her new coach’s attitude that a fresh start can be invigorating for all involved.

“Both of them, obviously, are huge changes,” Hackbarth said. “I think it’s great, though, that we have to deal with a new coach and the loss of Kelsey. I think it will be great for us.”

Despite presiding over summer and fall workouts, Brennan said Monday was the first day she could eye-ball her full squad. She’s reserving judgment on most everything, including which style of offense to run, until she becomes better acquainted with the team.

Already, though, Brennan knows she will emphasize defense and becoming “savvy” players.

“I want them to know what they’re doing when they don’t have the ball, what you can be doing to benefit your team when you don’t have the ball,” Brennan said. “Those are the things I want to point out ... I think there’s too much focus on how you’re going to score. No, how are you going to get your teammate open. I want you to get it. [Becoming] savvy is a huge, huge goal.”

With Smith gone, Hackbarth is expected to lead the North Stars in addition to fellow seniors Jenna Bell and Dana Sibley. Bell and Sibley figure to be Smith’s heir apparents in the paint.

“We’ve got two really, really good returning posts,” Brennan said. “They’re very, very good, and they’re going to have the opportunity to do some different things. And we’ve got some shooters, too. We’ve got a lot of individualized talent, and I’m really excited for that to come together.”

Hackbarth thinks Brennan, who comes to North after coaching and teaching in Charleston, S.C., can help make that happen.

“I love the new coach,” Hackbarth said. “She’s great. I think her intensity, I love that, and I think our team needs that this year.”

Elsewhere around the Tri-Cities, Geneva will once again be expected to flourish – once its team is intact. The Vikings are currently without three players – including starting post players Lauren Wicinski and Kelsey Augustine – who are on the Vikings’ volleyball team, which competes today in sectionals.

The Vikings return three starters from last year’s 32-2 juggernaut, and also welcome promising Bartlett transfer Ashley Santos, a sophomore. Geneva coach Gina Nolan said she liked her team’s offseason, which included a strong showing at Purdue’s team camp.

“The biggest part of the summer is those new juniors coming into the varsity level learning what it’s like to play varsity ball,” Nolan said. “Just mixing in and jelling with those new varsity girls, it’s always nice to see that happen, and I think it did very much so.”

While Geneva bids farewell to leading scorer Taylor Whitley and Batavia must go on minus Natalie Tarter, St. Charles East returns the core of its squad from a team that upset St. Charles North in overtime for a regional title last year.

It might be a new era for the North Stars, but some things – like that loss – are not to be forgotten.

“It’s in the past but it’s the scratch on our back that’s just always itching,” Hackbarth said. “We’re looking for revenge this year, we are, and obviously we’re upset about it, but we move on and learn from the mistakes that we made.”

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