Steve Klunick hands SHG girls basketball program over to assistant Dave Andrews

It’s been quite a while since Sacred Heart-Griffin had to fill a girls basketball coaching vacancy and in usual SHG fashion, it didn’t take long to do so.

Steve Klunick resigned last month after 11 seasons at the Cyclones’ helm, which made him the longest-tenured coach in SHG girls basketball history. SHG athletic director Bob Brenneisen announced the hiring of Klunick’s assistant coach Dave Andrews as the replacement.

“I just was done,” Klunick said. “I think I went and told Bob (Brenneisen) around Christmas time. I said, ‘Hey, this is it for me.’ He was kind of shocked.”

Andrews was a volunteer assistant when Klunick guided the Cyclones to a fourth-place finish in the 2019 Class 3A girls state tournament, the only trip to the state tournament in the program’s history.

Klunick leaves with a 227-93 record (a 70.9% winning percentage) and three Girls City Tournament championships.

“I’m hoping to keep the same winning ways of the past,” Andrews said.

Brenneisen said in a press release: “Dave has a vision and plan to put SHG girls basketball on the map. Dave has a great passion for the game and his knowledge is impressive. His understanding of SHG as a current assistant coach is also a benefit. We are looking forward to great things in our girls basketball program under his leadership.”

After coaching the Lutheran girls basketball team for two seasons, Andrews returned to SHG for the 2023-24 season.

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Off the beaten path

Andrews’ path to the high school coaching ranks wasn’t the normal path. He wasn’t a standout player — in fact, he concentrated on football at Eisenhower High School in Decatur, where he was a center and middle linebacker.

" I was the guy who sat on the bench and knew all the X’s and O’s and could tell you how to do it and tell you what to do; my body just wouldn’t allow me to do it,” Andrews said.

Andrews got into coaching to give his daughter Faith an opportunity to play at the YMCA. He eventually met Klunick, and the late Al Klunick, while coaching with the Central Illinois Predators at The Gym of Springfield. Then it was a stop at St. Aloysius before he reunited with Klunick at SHG.

“I’ve always said you didn’t have to play to coach it, you just have to actually love it and understand it,” Andrews said. “For me, it’s more about the mental chess of it.”

The Klunicks remain his biggest coaching influence, Andrews said.

“They took me under their wing. Those are my tree I come off of,” Andrews said. “With Steve, it’s preparation; 100% preparation. Learning and seeing what other teams are doing, always knowing and studying what’s going on.

“I would say (Al) taught me a lot how to work with post players and X’s and O’s of the game.”

Klunick said Andrews was a quick study.

“He was good in high school,” Klunick said. “I could tell he’s picked up a lot in drills.”

Andrews wants to continue to develop players, which he says is the most rewarding part of the profession.

“I really enjoy developing players and seeing them succeed as they get older and move on,” Andrews said. “On that Predators team, I had five of them who went on to play basketball in college ... and I had eight that went on to play sports in college.”

Klunick, 63, said he thinks his coaching days are done but his time at SHG will always be special, he said.

“The kids are your best memories,” Klunick said. “My best memories are when these girls come up to me, like two weeks ago, two (former) players went out of their way to come say, ‘Hi coach.’”

B.J. Halford steps down at Williamsville

The second-winningest girls basketball coach in Williamsville history resigned last month. Williamsville athletic director Adam Eucker said the district hoped to fill the position.

In 12 seasons at the helm, Halford had a 187-148 record, won at least 20 games four times, captured three Sangamo Conference titles and his Bullets won the Sangamon County Tournament three times.

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He spent four seasons as an assistant for the boys basketball team before taking over the Williamsville girls program.

A press release sent by Williamsville athletic director Adam Eucker praised Halford.

“Since becoming an assistant boys basketball coach during the 2008-2009 school year, he has been an active coach that has impacted the lives of hundreds of student athletes,” the press release read. “Most people will remember all the accomplishments that coach Halford achieved during his career as a coach for the Williamsville School District. More notably though, was the number of lives that he impacted over the last 16 years, as both a teacher and a coach. Coach Halford has left an indelible mark on Bullet athletics.”

Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, ryan.mahan@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: IHSA girls basketball: Dave Andrews takes over Sacred Heart-Griffin