Jacobs names Chuipek coach

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Keith Chuipek was named Jacobs girls basketball coach Friday, allowing him to return to the program with which he began his coaching career.

Chuipek succeeds Ed Haugens, who stepped down as a coach after last season.

Chuipek recently resigned as the boys basketball coach at St. Edward, where he coached for four seasons and led the Green Wave to a regional title in 2008. Before his stint at St. Edward, Chuipek spent seven years in the Jacobs boys basketball program as assistant coach, sophomore head coach and freshman head coach.

“I’m very excited to get back since that’s where I was able to start my coaching career,” Chuipek said. “And I had two younger kids (Taylor and Drew) graduate from Jacobs, and my daughter (Taylor) played for Ed.”

Jacobs won a share of the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division title last winter, splitting it with Cary-Grove, and finished 26-6. Chuipek said he was glad to inherit a tradition-rich program but knows he will have work to win next season.

The Eagles lost several key seniors, and Chuipek knows their shoes will be hard to fill.

“I’m good friends with Ed, and he’s done a very nice job with the program,” Chuipek said. “ ... Teams generally go in two-year cycles and it might just be a matter this year of needing to start over after losing some of those girls, but I’m very pleased to take over this program.”

Ed has done a tremendous job with it.”

Chuipek is a physical education teacher at Neubert Elementary in District 300 and has taught there for 12 years, so some of the girls who likely will be on his varsity roster were his students in elementary school.

“I’ll be familiar with some of the kids, which is going to be fun,” Chuipek said. “I’m really looking forward to it.”