Ms. Basketball in Illinois in 1994, Michelle (Hasheider) Burianek was known for her tenacity on both ends of the court and an intense desire to be successful.
Now 15 years later, Burianek is trying to reinforce those same characteristics in the same Okawville Lady Rockets program she helped make one of the state's elite Class A teams in the mid-1990s.
Burianek, who was named to replace retired coach Kathy Lanter in May, said she's not feeling any pressure to fill the shoes of her ex-coach, who led Okawville to two state championships and more than 520 wins in her 23-year career.
"You never replace a legend. You never replace any of what coach Lanter did. You just try and do the best you can and keep the girls on track,'' Burianek said. "We're having a good time. We've got a long way to go, but with some hard work, we'll get there.''
Burianek is getting a first-hand look at her inaugural Lady Rockets team this weekend at the Southwestern Illinois College Blue Storm Girls Basketball Tournament.
Okawville, which lost its opening game in pool play to St. Louis-power Incarnate Word on Saturday, will be a young team this fall after graduating four-year players Shaina Rennegarbe and Haylee Althoff from a team that finished 20-10.
"Right now, the girls are learning my system. I'm teaching the offense a little bit, and we'll start touching on the defense,'' Burianek said. "Right now we're working a lot on fundamentals.
"We're going to be really young. But as a whole, I think we'll continue to improve as the season goes on. You strive to get better by January and February. The kids have been great. They've come in and put the hard work in, and I know it will pay off when the season gets here.''
Burianek said she's enjoying the challenge of coaching her hometown team.
"I don't feel any added pressure. No matter where you go you want to keep the program going and successful,'' Burianek said. "I don't think the fact that being back home adds anything to it.
"I'm so competitive that it doesn't make any difference what I'm doing. It does make it a lot more fun because there are a lot of people around who know what's going on with our program, and they take a genuine interest.''
Play in the Southwestern Illinois College Blue Storm Girls Basketball Tournament resumes at 10 a.m. today at Southwestern Illinois College and Family Sportsplex in Belleville.
The title game is set for 3 p.m. at the Family Sportsplex. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for students and are good for all day at both sites.
Lancers win a close one
Another top metro-east girls basketball program that features a new coach is Belleville East, now being led by Andrea Seipp.
On Saturday, in a first-round game at the Family Sportsplex, the Lancers nipped Mascoutah 34-32.
"I've really like our effort so far. We're trying new things, and the kids are willing to try new things, which is awesome. For summer, our commitment has just been fantastic,'' Seipp said. "Through the summer, I'm hoping the girls get some positive reinforcement by getting some wins.
"We played well in a tournament in St. Louis two weeks ago, when we went 3-3 and played good competition, and then beating a team like Mascoutah in a close game like this today will also help give us some confidence.''
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