Ex-BVA star makes transition to coaching

By JEREMY SELLEW
jsellew@yourmvi.com
There may not be a new coach around the Mon Valley who earned instant respect with their teams faster than Kaitlyn Slagus.
The former All-American at Bucknell and former Belle Vernon Area standout has taken the reins of the girls basketball program at her alma mater and has hit the ground running.
“So far, everything is going really well and we’re staying healthy,” Slagus said. “I couldn’t ask for more than what I’ve gotten so far from the girls.”
It helps that the Leopards know all about their new coach and her exploits on the basketball court. Slagus has always been around the program and already knew most of the team.
“That’s really been the most difficult part. Transitioning from their friend and former player Kaitlyn to Coach Slagus,” the first-year coach said. “They know that I know the game. They don’t question me or push me to my limits, there’s already a mutual respect there. But there are times now that I may need to yell at them a bit or give them some criticism. It helps that I’m comfortable with them and they’re comfortable with me enough that they’re not afraid to ask questions.”
The Leopards will have to replace the 14 points per game they received from Rachel Wobrak, who’s continuing her career at nearby Washington & Jefferson.
They are behind the 8-ball already in that department with sophomore guard Jenna Dawson and her 11.4 points per game out for the season due to injury.
“Coach (Taylor) Waltenbaugh and I were talking about that. We’re 10 minutes into a scrimmage and realize we’re not scoring much,” Slagus said. “The girls we have on the court weren’t really relied on to score. I think we’ve done a good job now tweaking some things to our players’ strengths.”

To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Thursday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.