Krieg Looks Back at STC East Career with Fondness

fondly remembers his arrival as St. Charles East’s boys basketball coach for the 1998-99 school year.

“I was just talking about this the other day with Coach (Rob) Klemm, who played on my first team,” said Krieg. “The first coaching staff I was with included Mark Smith, Rob Prentiss and Jim Parker.

“I came to St. Charles in late June or early July and everyone was so gracious,” added Krieg. “I knew I was following a legend in Ron Johnson but everyone made me feel right at home.”

Krieg’s first Saints team finished 14-12 overall.

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“It was hard to describe the feeling I had for our first game,” said Krieg, who announced his retirement last week as St. Charles East’s athletic director. His last official day will be June 30. “Every road trip was like a party.”

Krieg, who spent five seasons as the Saints’ basketball coach (compiling a 84-55 record), guided the team to regional and sectional championships in 1999-2000 before a supersectional loss to West Aurora.

Krieg, who has spent the past eight years as St. Charles East’s athletic director, has faced his share of critics as of late on the heels of ’s dismissal as Saints’ basketball coach two months ago.

At the direction of Superintendent Donald Schlomann of St. Charles School District 303, a formal review of the Saints’ athletic department was recently conducted by consultants Douglas Chapman and Gerald Chapman regarding the department’s strengths and concerns in order to assist Schlomann in future decision making.

The , showing the athletic department’s need for more consistent communications and appropriate and consistent evaluations of coaches.

Krieg, who admittedly is “on the wrong side of 60,” has thought about retiring for some time.

“The job has changed a great deal,” said Krieg, who looks forward to spending more time with his wife, Corinne, in Oswego. “We’ve added bowling and water polo since I began (as athletic director). We’ve added four varsity sports in eight years.

“As I get older, the job gets a little harder,” added Krieg.

Prior to his arrival in St. Charles, Krieg spent 20-plus years as a basketball coach and assistant football coach at Bishop McNamara in Kankakee, before serving two years in a similar capacity at Ottawa Marquette.

Krieg currently ranks 157^th on the IHSA’s all-time list with 389 varsity basketball coaching victories (389-289).

“I’ve enjoyed my time at St. Charles East,” said Krieg. “We have the best facilities in the state. It has been quite an honor to follow Wayne (former Saints athletic director DeMaar) and Ron Johnson.”