The Lancaster Bible College Athletic Department is pleased to announce the hiring of Katelyn Vanderhoff as women’s basketball head coach. Vanderhoff is the 25th head coach in program history and takes over a team that went 24-6 last season and won its third straight North Eastern Athletic Conference South Division title.
In a twist from a year ago, Vanderhoff will be assisted by the coach she worked under last season as Sherri Gorman will be Vanderhoff’s assistant coach at Lancaster Bible. Vanderhoff coached under Gorman at Elizabethtown last season and played for Gorman during her high school years at Lancaster Mennonite. Vanderhoff said she will also look to add one or two more assistants as well.
After graduating from Lancaster Mennonite, Vanderhoff played two seasons of basketball at NCAA Division I Maine, before transferring to Messiah for her final two collegiate seasons. An injury forced her to miss the 2012-13 season, but she returned, via a medical hardship, for the 2013-14 season and helped the Falcons win the Commonwealth Conference championship and reach the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament en route to a 21-8 season.
Vanderhoff graduated from Messiah in January 2014 with a degree in sports management and worked as an assistant coach on the Elizabethtown staff for the 2014-15 season.
Though this will be her first season as a head coach, Vanderhoff said her previous experiences will be a huge help as she grows in her new position.
“All of the experiences I have had as player and as a coach have all led to this opportunity,” Vanderhoff said. “Obviously this will be different, but I had a lot of responsibilities at Elizabethtown last season and I feel very prepared for what it takes to be a head coach.”
One reason Vanderhoff feels so prepared and ready is because she knows Gorman will be there to help her navigate through issues that may arise early in her coach career.
“Sherri is obviously a very good coach and she has been through a lot of things when it comes to basketball,” Vanderhoff said. “She has taught me a lot of things and will continue to teach me as we go down this road together.”
Vanderhoff’s passion for basketball and coaching is contagious and she hopes that is something that is evident to both current players and recruits.
“Coaching basketball is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Vanderhoff said. “I have a passion for basketball and building relationships and can’t wait to get to know the girls who are already here.”
Building relationships with the current players and recruiting are on the short list of things Vanderhoff wants to accomplish prior to the 2015-16 academic year.
“I want to get to know the players and find a style of play that works for them and for me,” Vanderhoff said. “The team has been very successful the past couple of seasons and we want to continue to build off of that. Long term, I want to build a program that is consistent on a yearly basis and performs well on and off the court.”
Vanderhoff, who was one of the more decorated high school athletes in Lancaster County history, said she is a defensive-minded coach and believes that is the best way to win games.
“I’m all about defense and have been since my high school days under Sherri,” Vanderhoff said. (As a note, Vanderhoff won a PIAA District III Championship under Gorman with Lancaster Mennonite winning 37-27 in the District Final, so yes, defense has a special place in her heart.) “If you can shut down an opponent down, you can control almost every part of the game and more than likely will be successful.”
Vanderhoff joins newly hired Lancaster Bible Women’s Soccer Head Coach Leah Sipe as another Lancaster County native who will begin their head coaching career in the county they grew up in. Vanderhoff believes it will be beneficial to coach where she grew up.
“I’m really excited to stay in the area,” Vanderhoff said. “I had a great time going to high school here and got to know lots of good people in the Lancaster and York area. I think with the connections Sherri and I have will go a long way in recruiting and putting Lancaster Bible on the map even more.”
Lancaster Bible Director of Athletics Pete Beers is also excited about Katelyn being a Lancaster native.
“It’s exciting to have a Lancaster native who has a great support system in place and who’s upside is very good as a member of our team,” Beers said. “She has a commitment to be here for years to come so that we can establish the type of program we envision. Mentorship and recruiting remain at the top of our list for coaching attributes and I think having a local person at the helm will open the door to have more local recruits.”
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