(12-25-17) Women’s college basketball coaches could learn a lot about how to recruit top Illinois girls basketball prospects by watching (Chicago area) Nazareth’s Varsity Head Coach Eddie Stritzel at work. He took over a 9-21 team in May of 2016  and led the Roadrunners to a 14-14 season and a regional final game. This season Nazareth is 13-0 and is considered one of the top teams in the state.

Transfers

  • Annie Stritzel – Trinity
  • Alyssa Geary – Trinity
  • Marissa Metz  – Downers Grove South
  • Jovanna Martinucci – Queen of Peace

 

Stritzel recently told the Chicago Tribune about his starting five:

“I think our starting five is probably the most talented in the state.”

6’4 Senior Alyssa Geary, a Providence commit told mysuburbanlife.com:

“Honestly it has been a dream for me. At Trinity it was pretty rough and to think that I would never be coached by my favorite coach ever again was kind of sad.

I was thinking about transferring schools and one of my options was Nazareth. I heard he got the job and I was like, ‘wow, this is set.’ One of my best friends on and off the court, Annie (Stritzel), came with me. I love it.”

So how does Stritzel end up at Nazareth after a long run (236-51 in nine seasons) at Trinity?

In 2015, Trinity was coming off a 27-5 (2014-15) season, but just before the start of the season in late October Stritzel was suspended by the IHSA for the first 30 days of the season for making impermissible contact with a player and her parents, violating an IHSA recruiting bylaw. He was not allowed to attend a practice or game.

A day before his suspension was set to end and the night before Trinity’s home opener, Stritzel and three of his assistants resigned.

When taking the Nazareth position Stritzel told the Chicago Tribune:

“Our long-term goal is to make Nazareth a perennial state power year after year.”