Semoball

Long-time assistant Kirk Boeller named head coach of Notre Dame girls basketball

Kirk Boeller
Notre Dame Regional High School

Kirk Boeller is Notre Dame through and through, and that's just the kind of person the Bulldogs like to have leading their programs.

On Wednesday, Boeller was announced as the next varsity head coach of girls basketball at Notre Dame, replacing Renee Peters after she stepped down last month.

Boeller was the junior varsity coach on Peters' staff for the last seven seasons and is a 2006 graduate of the high school. He's also an assistant on Jeff Graviett's baseball staff.

"It's been fun coaching at my alma mater. It gives me a little bit more of a respect for the school and being proud of having graduated from there," Boeller said. "It's an awesome opportunity to take over the varsity program. Renee did such a good job with the varsity program for a11 years. We pass by in the hallway and I tell her I hope she left the program in good hands. She always did things the right way. She's a very good teacher for the kids and me too.

"I'm super, super excited. The last couple of days have kind of been a whirlwind."

Boeller, who said he's anxious to get to the summer and jump into camps, should have his transition smoothed by his familiarity with the girls, the school and the program's foundation, but said there's still a mixture of excitement and intimidation in filling the shoes of Peters, who led the team for more than a decade.

"... The logistics of a head coaching position will be new to me," Boeller said. "I've seen it play out, but actually being the one to do it all first hand will be new. But I've got awesome support. Renee's told me over and over the past two days, any questions or concerns I have, come straight to her office.

"Her and I, she had told me she was stepping down and she kind of encouraged me to throw my name in the hat and apply and go through the interviews and just see what happened. I've always had a desire to coach -- it's something I really enjoy doing -- so when she told me she was stepping down, it was a strange feeling because I've been working with her so long, but it gave me an opportunity to take that next step."

Boeller was a three-sport athlete at Notre Dame, playing soccer, basketball and baseball for four years. He then went on to play baseball at Southeast Missouri State from 2008-11. That gave him an opportunity to learn more about sport's role in learning, and when he graduated from college he got an offer to join Peters' staff.

Now he's taking over.

"[Peters] did awesome things for that program," Boeller said. "She led a team to a second-place finish at state, won however many Christmas tournaments; she had those girls always ready to go, ready to play, and she did things the right way. She was respectful, she was courteous, and the girls she coached reflected that attitude on the court. For me, I want the girls, going forward, to know those same morals and values are important -- represent yourself in a positive light. Renee did a great job with that. Filling her shoes is going to be difficult. ... I hope I can kind of keep the same grace she had with this program moving forward."

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