ARKADELPHIA, Ark. -- Henderson State Director of Athletics Kale Gober officially named Chris Oestreich head women’s basketball coach on Thursday, January 5.
“I told Coach O last spring that he had a year-long interview instead of a 2-hour interview,” said Gober. “It only took me about a month to see the direction we needed to go, and I felt that last night, after opening the conference season with a big victory, that he needed to rest a little easier. It was a hand-shake that neither of us will ever forget.”
Oestreich has been serving on an interim basis since last June. Following Henderson’s 82-69 win over Southwestern Oklahoma, Gober informed Oestreich that the interim status had been removed.
“I am grateful to Kale and the Henderson State Administration for their trust and belief in me,” said Oestreich. “It will be mine and my staff’s continued mission to put a team on the floor that represents HSU in a positive way holding to high core values and academic expectations.”
Oestreich has had an immediate impact implementing major changes on and off the court. The Lady Reddies are 8-3 on the season and have one of the top scoring teams in the league averaging 80 points per game.
More importantly, the team has performed well in the classroom. Five of the 10 players on the team had above a 3.0 grade point average in the fall semester. The Lady Reddies’ cumulative grade point average for the semester was 2.878.
Oestreich and his team have developed strong relationships within the community as well. The team participates in several projects such as visiting nursing homes, conducting free kids clinics, along with helping out with several various community events.
“Coach O has impressed me since day one as an assistant, which is why he took over the reins of our storied program on an interim basis to begin with,” said Gober. “The way that he has conducted himself along with the image that his team has displayed on and off the court from the day he took over has been rejuvenating to many people on campus and in the community. What he has done on the court thus far pales in comparison to their academic achievement, as well as their community involvement.”
Oestreich served as Henderson’s assistant coach for two years prior to being named interim coach.
A veteran to the coaching field, Oestreich has been in the profession for 23 years, spending 21 years in the college ranks as well as coaching internationally.
Oestreich served as head men’s coach at Austin College, a NCAA Division III institution in Texas.
During the 12 years from 1995 to 2007, Oestreich won the American Southwest Conference title in 1997 and recorded seven straight winning seasons including second place finishes in the ASC in 1999, 2001, and 2002.
Oestreich earned ASC Coach of the Year honors in 1996 and again in 1997. Following the 1996-1997 season, Oestreich also earned NAIA Division II Region Coach of the Year honors. In 2002, he was named ASC East Division Co-Coach of the Year, despite working without athletic aid or assistant coaches.
Oestreich and the Lady Reddies will play host to East Central Oklahoma, Saturday, at the Duke Wells Center with tipoff set for 2 p.m.