Heitman Ready for Challenges as West Deptford Girls' Basketball Coach

knows this will be something of a rebuilding year.

With recently graduated seniors Danielle McKeown, Tarryn Bundy and Megan Kirschling all departing for college, there are some big gaps to fill on offense and defense.

But in picking Heitman, who has been an assistant coach for the last two years, the school might have made the perfect choice.

Between her time under now-former coach J McKeown and her experience at the middle school level, the first-time head coach has some pretty big advantages over someone brand-new. Besides the experience she already has, the kids from her middle school teams are now juniors in high school, making it an easy move.

“I know their strengths, I know their weaknesses and I know what we can achieve,” said Heitman. 

Heitman said she has plenty of strengths coming in to the head coach role, many of which come from her tenure under McKeown. She said she shares many of McKeown’s principles and philosophies, such as playing top man-to-man defense.

“I think it will be a smooth transition,” said Heitman.

She’s aiming for a repeat of last year, when the Eagles went 20-8 and won their first playoff game in nearly three decades. While it may be a stiff test, Heitman said it’s something to strive for.

Heitman is going into her fifth year as a fifth grade teacher at Pleasant Valley Elementary School in Harrison Township, but her career in basketball spans all the way into her high school days at Clearview Regional High School, where she played both basketball and softball.

Following her Clearview career, she played at King’s College, where Heitman captained the Monarch’s basketball team her senior year. They went 21-8 and made it all the way to the Mid-Atlantic Conference playoffs.

Heitman also currently works an assistant coach on the freshman softball team at Clearveiw.

While Heitman said she experienced a mix of excitement and anxiety after she accepted the position, she is no doubt happy to remain coaching at . 

“The time that I’ve been here has been great,” said Heitman, “I look forward to continuing it.”