Members of the Fairbanks High School girls varsity basketball team are from left, front row, Macy Wanamaker, Emma Bookwalter, Bella Rowland, Molly Olson, Ellee Bouic and Michaela Writesel; back row, assistant coach Lyndsey Mangen, Joelle Ziegler, Samantha Picklesimer, Emma Kugel, Lillian Miller, Megan Rausch and head coach Landon Fraker.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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There is a new face at the helm of the Fairbanks High School girls basketball program this winter,
Landon Fraker, who formerly served as head girls coach at Buckeye Valley High School, has taken over the Lady Panther program.
The position was vacated after the 2017-18 campaign when long-time head coach Brock Oakes stepped down.
There are a handful of lettermen back from an FHS squad that posted a 9-14 record last year and finished third in the Ohio Heritage Conference North Division.
Veterans Sam Picklesimer (6-0) and Emma Kugel (6-1) bring height to the squad, while Macy Wanamaker, Joelle Ziegler and Michaela Writesel will play in the backcourt.
Newcomers to the varsity roster include Libby Miller, Molly Olson (who missed last season with a knee injury) and Megan Rausch.
Fraker has been pleased with what he’s seen from his squad during the preseason.
“I like our work ethic,” he said. “They are very easy to teach and that’s good since we have a lot of new things to learn.
“We have decent size and I’m comfortable with our bench depth,” said Fraker. “We’re settling into a player rotation, but I won’t be afraid to go to our bench this season.”
Fraker is implementing a motion offense that will run through the post side with Picklesimer and Kugel.
“This is an offense that creates shots for players,” said Fraker. “In the past, the girls ran a ‘read-and-react’ offense in which they created their own shots.
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” he said. “It’s just that we’re going to do something different this year and we’re just going to need to have some patience with it.”
FHS fans can expect to see their favorite team primarily play a man-to-man defense, “unless we run into a situation that calls for a zone,” said Fraker. “We’ll also press some teams in order to try and disrupt their offense.”
For a number of years, Fraker had coached Buckeye Valley in the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference. As such, he’s not all that familiar with the OHC.
“I know that Mechanicsburg and West Liberty-Salem are going to be strong,” he said. “But I think anyone can beat anyone else on any given night.
“We will scout the teams in action and then put together our game plan.”
Fraker said the Lady Panthers are adapting to the coaching change and are “eager to learn.
“We’re putting in what I call a ‘cerebral’ offensive system,” he said. “I want the girls to fully understand our system and enjoy playing basketball.
“We’re going to go through some growing pains, but I want this to be enjoyable for our seniors (Wanamaker, Ziegler and Picklesimer),” he said. “They’re only going to have one run with this new system.”