Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
WINONA LAKE - When Scott Schramm took over the Grace women's basketball program two years ago, he knew it would be natural for him to take part of what he had done in the Warsaw High School program serving as the freshman coach.
This was not quite what he had in mind, but he certainly isn't going to complain.
When Schramm begins his third season as the Lancer mentor, his team will definitely have a Warsaw feel to it as he has added an influx of four former Warsaw players to his program.
WCHS seniors Sarah Calhoun and Sheila Whitaker recently signed on at Grace to play their freshman seasons with the Lancers this winter, and Traci Dunn and Kristi Keilman, former Tiger players, will be transferring in from other schools to the program.
Dunn just finished two seasons at Danville (Ill.) Area Community College, while Keilman played the last two years at Valparaiso University.
"It was not necessarily a goal of mine that I set out to do," Schramm said. "But Warsaw has a strong program, and they are fundamentally coached. I knew it would be a good avenue, especially having coached some of those young ladies previously.
"There was no massive plan," he said. "It just kind of happened. I knew Traci was in junior college and I could talk to her, and she might want to come close to home. Sheila and Sarah both wanted to stay close to home, and they liked the Grace environment. Kristi just dropped into our laps because I can't go out and recruit her."
Schramm sees the transition to the Grace program a little easier for each person because of the working knowledge of each other.
"For all four of them, I think the adjustment is going to be very smooth because I know them, and they know me," Schramm said. "A lot of our stuff is like the Warsaw stuff, even though it is changing more and more."
Those four players, along with five other newcomers, will blend in with an already young Grace squad next season. Schramm took over a Grace program that won five games each of three straight years and has won 17 over the past two seasons.
"I think we took a step last year even though we didn't win a lot more," Schramm said. "I think we have taken two of those steps for next year. I don't know if I could have pictured this when I started, but I like the way things are going. I like to say I am a super recruiter, but the Lord has just placed some girls in our hands that wanted to go to Grace."
Not only will Keilman (6-1) and Dunn (6-2) give Grace some added size inside, but they also bring the experience of having already played two seasons of college basketball.
"We needed that height with losing (Rebecca) Wahlstrom, we needed a scorer inside," Schramm said. "The teams that we had trouble with last year were the ones that had more than one post player. Now, we have two experienced post players."
Keilman started two games last year for Valparaiso and averaged 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds a game. Keilman was a four-year starter at Warsaw and averaged 12.5 points a game and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Dunn was Danville's top post defender and averaged five points and 4.9 boards a contest. Dunn held Lincoln College All-American Rachel Peterson below her 20 points a game average twice (10 and 12 points).
"Kristi will be a great match with Grace," Schramm said. "With the young guards that we have now she will help with leadership on the floor. She will be a constant scorer in the middle for us as well as helping on the boards. Kristi will be a big building block in our improvement process.
"Traci is going to fill a big need that we had in having a post player that can play defense and rebound," he said. "Nobody plays defense and rebounds like Traci does. She's had two good years at junior college where she gained a lot of experience."
Calhoun and Whitaker will add some spark to the Lancers, as well as depth.
The two players basically shared the off-guard position for the Tigers this season. Whitaker averaged 5.0 points and two rebounds a game, while Calhoun was at 2.8 and 3.0 boards.
Whitaker finished second in the state three-point contest this season, while Calhoun is also a talented volleyball player who will also play for the Lancer volleyball team.
"Sarah can do a little bit of everything," Schramm said. "She will be able to rebound, and we will have good speed with her in there. They provided us a depth, shooting and some enthusiasm.
"Whitaker's strength is her three-point shooting," he said. "I can see her filling a variety of roles."
