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Happe takes over Lady Mikes’ program

By Adam Brewer for The 3 min read
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Carmichaels girls starters: Megan Walker, Natalie McNett, Kristina Aeschbacher, Gina Ranieri and Kaitlyn Wilson.

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Coach Dan Happe gathers the girls around for a quick clapping game at the end of practice.

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The Carmichaels girls basketball team run through a practice game in the elementary school gym.

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Carmichaels girls head coach Dan Happe

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Carmichaels' Megan Walker makes the layup with Kristina Aeschbacher as backup during practice.

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Carmichaels' girls coach Dan Happe watches as Megan Walker carries the ball to the net on a play with Emily Menhart

It’s a new era for the Carmichaels girls basketball program, as first-year coach Dan Happe takes over the coaching reigns for the Lady Mikes.

Happe was an assistant coach for the last couple of seasons under veteran coach Jim Lane, who stepped down last season after completing his 17th year guiding the Lady Mikes.

Happe looks to maintain the strong winning tradition at Carmichaels and is hoping to bring a strong, team-first identity to the team.

The Lady Mikes compiled a 9-13 overall record last year and went 3-9 in Section 4-AA. Carmichaels missed the playoffs for only the fifth time since the 1997-98 season.

Happe is excited about his team of 13 players, despite having just one senior on the squad.

“We are ready for the season,” Happe said. “Offensively, our key is going to be our transition offense. Our strength is our speed and athleticism, so we need to play towards our strengths. Defensively, we have been focusing on team defense and the girls must adjust to our new defensive schemes.”

Carmichaels lost four senior starters from a year ago, including 1,000-point scorer Caroline Cree.

“Every girl on our roster needs to step up,” Happe said. “We lost the majority of our starters from a year ago, but we have a lot girls that are ready to get in there and step up.”

According to Happe, the three players that he is looking to have the biggest roles on the team are junior guard Natalie McNett (5-5), sophomore guard Megan Walker (5-4), and sophomore forward Kristina Aeschbacher (5-10).

“Those three players are going to be key for us,” Happe stated. “They are our three most experienced players when it comes to varsity minutes. All three of them, along with everyone else, must be ready for a bigger role on the team.”

As for the goals and expectations this season, Happe points to be competitive every game and vying for a playoff spot within the section.

“I think we have a great shot to compete in this section,” he said. “We had a productive summer and the improvement that I have seen with our players have been very exciting. There are a lot of great young players in our section and it’s going to be fun to see how it plays out. We look forward to competing every night.”

The Lady Mikes will start the season at the Charleroi Tournament on Dec. 4. Carmichaels first home game of the season will be versus Mapletown on Dec. 8.

(See more photos with story on our website)

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