High schools | Bradenton Christian hires three new head coaches
BRADENTON -- Janelle Hochstetler isn't in the most enviable position.
Replacing a longtime successful coach isn't desirable -- but then Hochstetler's pedigree isn't too shabby, either.
On Thursday, she was announced as Bradenton Christian's new girls basketball head coach.
It was one of three new coaching hires the Panthers announced.
Andrea Kneser (volleyball) and Stephen Adair (boys soccer) also filled coaching vacancies at BCS on Thursday.
Hochstetler's arrival marks a new era for the Panthers' girls basketball program, which was made possible when veteran head coach Jim Van Till retired in April.
Van Til racked up 503 victories, reached eight final fours and won one state championship in his 28 seasons with the Panthers.
"There's some pressure to it, but that's any coaching job anymore," Hochstetler said. "I'm excited and anxious to see what the girls can accomplish. It might be a growing year still. It might take a couple years to get the program up and running, but I think there's some great potential."
Despite taking over for a legend, Hochstetler isn't new to taking over a successful program.
When Sarasota Christian hired her in 2007, she was entering a Blazers program that made the Class 1A state final four in back-to-back seasons.
Hochstetler continued the successful SCS run in 2008 with a state runner-up finish and a state final four appearance in 2009.
"Both (SCS and BCS) jobs have had great success programs," Hochstetler said. "Great longevity, especially with Jim. I might bring a different flavor, but I think the same concepts of skill work and fundamentals for the kids is there. I'm not apprehensive. It's different. Maybe winning won't be a huge focus. Player development will be more of the focus, and building the program versus having a veteran crew like I had at SCS and trying to turn the table there to push it to that next level. They're different components, but equally as challenging."
Hochstetler's last season coaching the Blazers was 2011, and SCS qualified for the regional portion of the state tournament in all four season she was in charge.
"Janelle brings a strong presence to our program," BCS athletic director Allan Gerber said. "She has seen success on every level, as a player and coach. Her tenacity and elevated level of expectation will have a great impact on our players. Additionally, she brings a wealth of experience to the classroom and will benefit students and faculty."
As a player, Hochstetler won a state title as a high school player and was an academic All-American at Mayville (N.D.) State University where she entered its sports Hall of Fame. She's slated to teach at BCS, too.
The Panthers' volleyball program hasn't made it past the district tournament stage since 2010.
Dating back to 1999, BCS volleyball qualified for the regionals nine times, advancing to the state final four in 2006 and 2008.
Like Hochstetler, Kneser also possesses experience playing at the next level as well as coaching the sport she was hired for. Kneser played collegiately at Webber International University, and was a pro beach volleyballer.
At the high school level, Kneser has coached at Sarasota Booker and Brooksville Central.
Adair has a 16-year career in coaching soccer and is looking to turn around a Panthers boys soccer program that has never advanced to the Florida High School Athletic Association's regionals.
"I have the opportunity to develop kids from, basically, the fifth-grade level on and even smaller," said Adair, who has coached high school soccer in Virginia, at IMG Academy and most recently with the Clearwater Chargers club team at Lakewood Ranch's Premier Sports Campus. "And being able to try to integrate a soccer program within the physical education department. So that not only are they going to get soccer during their normal soccer training hours, but I'm trying to, maybe, work on creating an elective course and having soccer be one of those courses the kids to choose from."
This story was originally published June 25, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "High schools | Bradenton Christian hires three new head coaches."