Over the course of high school, Karlee Krchnavi became a fixture at Palisades for her numerous basketball accomplishments.
When she graduated in 2016, Krchnavi was the school’s all-time leading basketball scorer with 1,652 points, and also the program’s leading rebounder with 1,132.
She took her game to Binghamton University, where she initially was a reserve until she became a steady starter in her final two seasons. Krchnavi emerged as one of the team’s leading rebounders and averaged nearly six points per game.
But it didn’t take long for Krchnavi to return to her roots. Upon graduation, she became an assistant varsity girls basketball coach, further creating her mark on the program.
When former head coach Gregg Dietz resigned in late June, Krchnavi decided to embark on another Palisades chapter and was named head girls basketball coach.
She couldn’t have asked for a better fit.
“I can’t even put into words how exciting it is for me,” Krchnavi said. “It’s exciting on so many levels, primarily because Palisades is my alma mater. I’d be excited to get this opportunity anywhere, but the fact that it’s Palisades makes it even more special.”
Throughout her high school and college career, coaching in the future wasn’t always a top priority.
“I really didn’t know if I was ever going to go down the coaching route,” said Krchnavi. “In college, a lot of people would ask me if I was going to coach, and I honestly didn’t know. When Gregg asked me to come on board right out of college, I agreed because basketball is my passion and I’m so grateful he asked me, because I am absolutely loving it.
“I feel like I am a natural leader and when we did camps and such in college, I loved teaching the younger girls.”
Palisades Athletic Director Brian Gilbert also knew it was a solid choice.
“We’re just lucky because how often do you get a superstar female athlete to come back to their hometown and coach at the school and in the sport that she is well known,” said Gilbert. “She’s got banners on the wall and plaques in the display case.
“We’re super excited and I’ve already seen the excitement, especially from the younger girls that might have been in elementary school when they could come and watch her play. They’re almost star-struck that Karlee is coaching them. So the turnout has been great. I’m excited to see how things go.”
This summer, Krchnavi had her new team playing in the Forks Summer Basketball League. The Pirates didn’t win any games, but Krchnavi saw beyond the record. However, she knows it will be a work in progress from last year’s 2-19 record.
“From the first game to the last, there was improvement,” said Krchnavi. “My biggest struggle was having numbers, as we had five to seven girls for the majority of the games. It wasn’t until the last few games that we had eight to 10 girls.
“Toward the end when we were getting more numbers, you could see the girls start to click and start to recognize each other’s strengths and maximize those opportunities. We got some experience playing against AAU teams and it showed us what areas we need to be our focal points.”
Krchnavi has been impressed with incoming juniors Cora Anderson, Grace McArdle, Chesney Mosher, Delia Pavlinsky, Amelia Smith, and incoming freshman Riley Alkhas.
“They all have done a nice job,” she said. “We also had a large presence of middle schoolers for open gyms, and it was great to see them wanting to get better and learn from the older girls.
“The goal is to establish a core foundation at all levels, and so far, things are moving in the right direction.”
Still, the 24-year-old energetic Krchnavi is looking at the big picture and a long-term commitment.
“We’re going to do what we can to get as many girls committed to our program,” she said. “When you can use your own experience and knowledge to help younger girls, it is a great feeling.
“We want to make this program one in which girls want to make their mark.”
Their new head coach surely has done it.
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