COLUMN: By loading her staff with top talent, Heather Oesterle sets sky as limit for herself, student-athletes in her program
Heather Oesterle had a proposal for Micaela Kelly.
Kelly, a senior-to-be and the reigning player of the year in the Mid-American Conference, has intentions of playing in the WNBA after finishing her career with the Chippewas. Though she has the ability to score from anywhere and strong skills the ball in her hand, it’s a tall order for someone from a mid-major university to get a look at the highest level of women’s basketball.
Oesterle’s advice? Get in the ear of the Gail Goestenkors, her newest assistant coach who holds over 30 years of coaching experience.
“You better be picking her brain,” Oesterle advised.
Central Michigan’s second-year coach spent her summer finding replacements for Mark Simons and Murriel Page, two well-respected assistants. Though each departing assistant played pivotal roles in bringing in their replacements, it was certainly a difficult task.
Ultimately, Oesterle brought in Goestenkors and Sarah Miles, another solid coach who comes with professional experience, albeit as a player. The two additions each bring their own specific skill sets while adding to the overall aesthetic of the Chippewa program. The returning assistant, Courtney Shelton, also brings valuable playing experience.
With Shelton, Goestenkors and Miles at her side, Oesterle has an arsenal of assistants that will help her grow as a young head coach while surrounding her student-athletes with staffers that possess the necessary connections to push their abilities to the next level.
For a coach that has plenty of experience herself, Oesterle is putting herself, and her team, in a position to be successful for a long time.
Miles shows commitment early
Just hours after being hired, Miles went to work.
Brought in to replace Page, who left to join Georgia Tech’s staff as an assistant coach, Miles was aware that her predecessor had done a bulk of the recruiting for the Chippewa staff and held a wide base of connections.
She knew the shoes she had to fill, so she instantly got started.
And the next day she walked into Oesterle’s office with a list of every desired recruiting contact in Michigan.
“What I like about Sarah is that she takes initiative,” Oesterle said. “To me, that’s someone who's hungry to help our program get better.”
Miles, who was an assistant coach at Northwestern State in Louisiana when the Chippewas came calling, possesses valuable playing experience that will help develop her players into professional-caliber athletes. She was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year at West Virginia in the 2009-10 season and played professionally in Finland.
“(Sarah) and I hit it off from the first conversation we had,” Oesterle said in the university’s press release announcing Miles’ hire. “Sarah was a tremendous college player and she’s going to be a star in the coaching world.”
In addition to creating contacts with the top talent at the high school level around the state, Miles also will help bridge the gap between Chippewas and the professional ranks. Her counterpart and fellow new hire, Goestenkors, will do the same while also helping Oesterle herself grow.
'I just have so much to run by her'
Oesterle wants her team to lead the country in scoring. To do so, she’s calling upon the help of a seven-time Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year in Goestenkors.
“She doesn’t know this yet, but we’re gonna sit down and go over a bunch of different stuff that we could do better this year,” Oesterle said. “I’m just gonna pick her brain as much as possible and I just have so much to run by her.”
The two have already begun to discuss defensive schemes that allow for easy transition baskets and better looks at the rim. Offensively, Goestenkors will work with the forwards while Shelton, who was a three-year starter at Northern Illinois, will continue to mold the guards.
At her introductory press conference, Goestenkors praised the unique abilities of the players Oesterle has in her frontcourt. The unit is stacked with potential, ranging from returning starters Kyra Bussell and Jahari Smith to a highly touted freshmen trio of Sydney Graber, Rachel Loobie and Maryama Turkstra.
“All of Heather’s post players can shoot,” Goestenkors said. “They’re just so versatile. They can pick and pop, they can hit the three, they can put it on the deck a little bit. I’ve never seen a set of post players like the ones at Central Michigan, they’re really stacked and can put the ball in the bucket.”
While players at all stages of development will benefit from the additions, perhaps the biggest benefactor will be Oesterle herself. She’s got a MAC West title under her belt and a loaded coaching staff to back her up.
If these hires all work out, the rest of the MAC must take heed – because the sky will be the limit for the Chippewas.
