Taking the reins

PALMER — As longtime head coach Don Witzel ventured into the final years of his dynamic run at the helm of the Colony girls basketball program, one of his assistants — Tom Lincoln — often thought about the opportunity to be Witzel’s successor.

Now, after four seasons in the program, Lincoln has the opportunity to take the reins of the Knights girls basketball program.

Earlier this week, Colony High School officials named Lincoln the fourth Colony girls basketball head coach in school history.

“I’m very stoked; really looking forward to it,” Lincoln said Thursday afternoon. “We’ve got a great group of ladies coming through the program. It’s just going to be a blast.”

Lincoln replaces a coach in Witzel, who retired earlier this month after leading the Knights to 308 wins, eight region titles and four state championships during his 15-year tenure with the program.

Although he is replacing one of the most successful girls basketball coaches to hit the Alaska hardwood, Lincoln said he’s excited for the chance to lead the traditionally strong Colony squad.

“The program’s pretty well established all the way through,” Lincoln said. “And we’ll have the same coaching staff except for Witzel.”

Among the assistants returning is Lyle Busbey, who’ll enter his third season with Colony when the Knights tip-off later this year.

“With Busbey here, it’s awesome for the program. I have a lot of ideas, but we’ll build off of what coach Witzel has done,” Lincoln said. “We won’t be turning (the program) upside down.”

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, 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.”

In addition to his time with sports such as football and track, Lincoln also served as an assistant in the Colony boys basketball program for several years. Lincoln, a graduate of Wasilla High School, also spent time coaching basketball at WHS and Houston High School early in his career.

Lincoln said his basketball philosophies are similar to those of Witzel. Like his predecessor, Lincoln favors the defensive elements of the game.

“I always take a lot of pride in defense,” Lincoln said.

And with the offensive-minded Busbey back on the bench, Lincoln expects the balance to be similar to that of the Witzel era.

In addition to the promotion of Lincoln, Colony will also be ushering a new crop of talent to the varsity level during the upcoming season. The Knights advanced to back-to-back state championship games during the last two seasons, but the 2008 state champs and 2009 runners-up graduated eight seniors last spring.

“We’ll be young this year, but the girls are very committed,” Lincoln said. “The kids want to get better, there’s a winning attitude, they don’t want to lose. All those thing play a part in having a successful program.”

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