AKRON - The Tippecanoe Valley Lady Vikings basketball program is set to begin another chapter.
During Monday's school board meeting, Tippecanoe Valley's board of trustees approved the hiring of Chris Kindig as the newest girls basketball coach."Valley has had a pretty good tradition over the years," Kindig said. "I'm hoping to get it back to that way again. I want to get back to where the team is competing for conference championships and doing damage in the postseason."
Kindig will actually be following the coach that delivered Valley all the tradition - Gary Teel.
During his 12 years at the helm of the program, Teel compiled a 158-110 record, winning five sectionals and four Three Rivers Conference championships, the latest coming in the 2008-09 season. Teel was also named the 2003-04 Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Bob King District 1 Coach of the Year.
Valley ended last season at 9-12, but did go 6-1 in the TRC. Despite that, Valley graduated Hannah Boggs and Kate Myers, who finished their prep careers with 437 and 545 career points, respectively.
"We'll be reloading, but not rebuilding," Kindig said. "The girls have been playing in the Plymouth Summer League, and I've seen them over the last two weeks. I've been pretty impressed with the talent."
The new coach plans to implement a new system, picking up the pace a bit.
"We'll be aggressive on the defensive and offensive ends of the floor," he said. "With the personnel we have, we should be able to get up and down the floor and press more as well. We'll do whatever we need to in order to be successful."
The 1979 Tippecanoe Valley graduate began his coaching career in 1994, serving as a boys assistant under Gregg Sciarra. During his five years with the boys team, Valley won the sectional in 1997.
Following his five-year stint with the varsity, Kindig returned to coaching with the Tippecanoe Valley eighth grade team in 2006, finishing with an overall record of 74-24. During the past two seasons, Kindig's teams have gone 36-2.
"I want to see if the results can translate," Kindig said.
After spending 10 years coaching boys, Kindig is embarking on the challenge of coaching the girls, which can be a little different.
"I just want the challenge of that," Kindig said. "This gives me the opportunity to coach at the varsity level. It can be a real challenge with the girls."
While he's still looking for a junior varsity coach, Kindig will have the benefit of having Alissa Trippiedi, a longtime girls assistant.
"I have good help," Kindig said. "Alissa Trippiedi has been an assistant with the team for several years under coach Teel. It should be easier to have someone who's familiar with the team."
Though it may be challenging, Kindig is eager to coach a team that he played for in high school and still has ties to, including his son Nick, who will be a sophomore this upcoming year.
"If there was a job opening for a girls basketball coach somewhere else, I probably wouldn't be interested," he said. "At Valley, I have a vested interest."
