Posted: 5/14/02

Hesse resigns basketball coaching post

Berk Brown
Sports Editor

For the second time in less than a month, Forest Lake has lost the head coach of one of its major athletic programs.

Jen Hesse, who just a year ago guided the Rangers to their second-ever trip to the girls state basketball tournament, resigned last week.

In late April, Jim Young resigned as the head boys hockey coach after just one season. It was the winningest boys hockey season ever in Forest Lake.

In losing Hesse, Forest Lake loses another coach who experienced high levels of success in a short time.

Hesse coached the Rangers for three seasons, taking them to the Section 6AAAA final her first season and to the state tournament her second before going 4-21 this season.

Forest Lake finished 15-8 in its first season under Hesse and went 14-13 during its state-tournament season.

Hesse said it was time for her to turn in her whistle so she could focus more of her time and energy into furthering her teaching career. She will begin work for her administrative licensure as she prepares to move on to other career opportunities.

Forest Lake Senior High Activities Director Don Bosch said Monday he respected Hesseís decision.

ìShe wants to pursue other avenues and just felt like she couldnít continue to make the time commitment to basketball that she wanted,î Bosch said.

Bosch said a search for a new head girls basketball coach will begin immediately with the hope of finding a quality replacement sooner rather than later.

Bosch wonít be the only administrator looking for a new girls basketball coach for next season.
Openings for head girls basketball coaches are abundant right now. Several schools are searching for a new head girls basketball coach, according to the Minnesota State High School Leagueís Web site.

Those schools include familiar Forest Lake Suburban East Conference foes such as White Bear Lake and Roseville. Minneapolis Edison and Patrick Henry are two other Twin Cities schools looking for a new coach.

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