Waukon girls basketball team fields six returning letterwinners as Ben Rausch takes the head coaching reins for ‘20-’21


2020-2021 Waukon girls basketball team ... Left to right - Front row: Paige Hansmeier, Jayden Knox, Bailey Shafer, Maggie Criswell, Emily Bieber, Ella Hermeier; Back row: Grace Stegen, Emma Palmer, Margaret Wacker, Annika Headington, Brinley Jones, Brenna Berns, Mackenzie Kaeser.

2020-2021 Waukon girls basketball returning letterwinners ... Left to right: Ella Hermeier, Bailey Shafer, Margaret Wacker, Annika Headington, Brinley Jones, Maggie Criswell.

The 2020-2021 Waukon girls basketball season will have a different look to it for a couple reasons, one coming from the much wider outside world and the other from within. The much more positive of the two is the internal change, as Waukon High School graduate and multi-year assistant basketball coach Ben Rausch has assumed the varsity head coaching role for the program following the retirement of Greg Criswell after his three-year stint at the top of the Lady Indian totem pole.

Rausch is a 2006 graduate of Waukon High School and brings an extensive basketball resumé to his new head coaching position. That basketball experience stems from playing the game at multiple levels, and coaching at multiple high school levels as well.

“I have been playing basketball since I was a small child,” Coach Rausch explained. “I played high school basketball in Waukon for Coach Don Kuennen and was a three-year varsity starter for the Indians. During my career I was a team captain, and was an All-NEIC and All-District team selection. I continued my career at Loras College where I played for one season.”

The Indians were scheduled to get their 2020-2021 season underway against a trio of Upper Iowa Conference opponents, but had those first three game postponed. The bucket Tribe is now scheduled to open its competition scheduled Tuesday, December 8 at home against Crestwood before hosting those highly-regarded Go-Hawks from Waverly-Shell Rock this Friday, December 11. The Lady Indians will then play at Decorah Tuesday, December 15 before making up a December 3 postponed date at home against MFL/MarMac December 17 and then hosting Charles City December 18.

For more complete coverage, pick up this week's print edition or subscribe to our e-edition by clicking here.