Steve Wiktorowski named new Goshen College women’s basketball head coach

GOSHEN, Ind — Goshen College Athletic Director Ken Pletcher announced Steve Wiktorowski as its women’s head basketball coach Thursday, ending a two-month search that has continued since the resignation of former head coach Kim Eiler in late February.

“I’ve known Steve for many years and find him to be a great coach, a person of integrity and a great teacher,” Pletcher said. “He clearly has demonstrated that he knows and understands the game of basketball and he will be an exceptional leader for our program.”

Wiktorowski takes over a position held for the past six years by Eiler, who resigned in February to chair the college's physical education department and begin doctoral studies in health education/health promotion. During her coaching tenure, Eiler compiled an overall record of 92-79, which included double-figure wins in each of her six seasons as the Maple Leafs head coach.

“The opportunity to be the women’s basketball coach at Goshen College is one that greatly excites me,” Wiktorowski said. “I think that Kim has laid the foundation for further success here — I want to build upon that foundation. The entire athletic department at Goshen College is moving in the right direction. I’m happy that I get to be a part of that.”

Wiktorowski comes to Goshen after spending the previous 21 years of his professional life coaching Indiana high school boys basketball, spending the last 14 years as the head coach at two area schools. Wiktorowski taught physical education and social studies for the past seven years while directing the boys basketball program at Prairie Heights High School in LaGrange, Ind. Prior to arriving at Prairie Heights, Wiktorowski was the varsity coach at Fairfield High School for seven years while teaching health and social studies. Before becoming a head coach at the varsity level, Wiktorowski spent seven years as an assistant coach at both Fairfield and Northridge high schools.

During Wiktorowski’s 14-year career as a head high school coach, he compiled an overall record of 123-176, and was 72-38 while at Fairfield against Northeast Corner Conference opponents. His teams also won three consecutive NECC tournament championships and took the 1989 Goshen Holiday Tournament championship during that stretch.

While the Goshen position is Wiktorowski’s first at both the college level and in coaching women, he felt that the challenge and opportunity in both realms were too great too pass on.

“There are tenets of coaching any team,” he said. “I’m sure there will be minor adjustments I’ll have to make in coaching women and coaching at the college level, but basketball is basketball. I’m anxious to work with athletes at a higher level.”

Goshen will also bring a unique opportunity for Wiktorowski’s family to be more heavily involved in his profession. Wiktorowski’s wife, Donna, works part-time for the Goshen College education department, teaching and supervising student teachers. She also works part-time at Parkside Elementary School in Goshen, where their oldest child, Troy (7 years old), goes to school. The Wiktorowskis also have a 4-year old daughter, Erin, who attends the Campus Center For Young Children on the campus of Goshen College.

“Prairie Heights was a long drive from our home in Goshen, and I am excited that I will be able to spend more time with my family in this position,” Wiktorowski said. “This is a unique opportunity to be closer to my family and work with outstanding people here.”

On the court, Wiktorowski will bring a fundamentally-based system of coaching to the Leafs, with his past teams being best known for their toughness, defensive intensity and fundamental sureness.

“We will try to play as fast of pace as we can, as long as we can stay under control,” Wiktorowski said. “We want to be tough to play against. Defensively we will give people a lot of different looks, and offensively we will run a variety of things that will make us tough to prepare for.”

Wiktorowski said he is excited about the recruiting period which begins immediately, as he looks to build upon a team which finished with an overall record of 16-12, and a conference record of 7-7 in 2001-2002. Helping him in this matter will be the return of assistant coach Marc Green, who will remain on staff with Wiktorowski after serving as Eiler’s assistant for the past two seasons.

“Coach Green has been very helpful through the transition of bringing in a new coach,” said Wiktorowski. “I am excited about the opportunity to recruit local talent, and am going to start as soon as possible.”

Wiktorowski graduated from Indiana University-Bloomington with a degree in physical education in 1980. He acquired his master’s degree in secondary education from Indiana University-Fort Wayne in 1990.

For more information contact Cory Furman at (574) 535-7497 or visit us online at https://www.goshen.edu/athletics

 

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