Colony assistant named head coach of Knights girls basketball program

PALMER — Colony has found its replacement for longtime head girls basketball coach Don Witzel.

And the Knights didn’t have too far to look.

The Colony administration has named former assistant Tom Lincoln as the new head coach of the program, school officials said on Wednesday.

Lincoln, an important piece of Witzel’s staff for the last four seasons is now the fourth head girls basketball coach in the program’s history. He replaces Witzel, who led the Knights to 308 wins, eight region titles and four state championships during his 15-year run as head coach.

Witzel retired earlier this month.

Colony activities director Mike Boyd said there were a number of reasons why school officials felt Lincoln was the man for the job.

“We considered a whole bunch of things,” Boyd said. “He’s very involved. He loves kids. He likes to win.

“He possesses the ability to get the most out of a student, and the kids want to play for him.”

Lincoln, who led the Colony girls junior varsity team to an undefeated record last season, is no stranger to the varsity ranks at CHS. During his time with Knight athletics, Lincoln has also served as the head coach of the varsity football and track and field programs.

Boyd said there was tough competition for the position created by the retirement of Witzel. But ultimately, Lincoln was the choice.

In the past, the Colony has made a practice of hiring head coaches who have worked within the program. And Lincoln was certainly a qualified candidate within the program.

“Anytime somebody goes up through the ranks, it speaks well for the program,” Boyd said. “I think that’s why we’ve had such good programs. You keep the continuity, but you get a little new life.”

For a complete story, see the Friday edition of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.