JEFFERSON — For Brent Schacht, it was the right job at the opportune time.
Schacht was tabbed recently to coach Jefferson’s varsity girls basketball team, replacing Dena Smith who retired from teaching and coaching at the end of the school year.
“Getting back into a higher level of competition is exciting,” Schacht said. “I’ve coached middle school basketball for roughly 15 years, including here in Jefferson since I was hired in 2019.
“Coaching at the varsity level is a big-time commitment. Now that my two kids — Bentley and Kaydence — are older, I have more time.”
Athletic director Mark Peterson pointed to Schacht’s plethora of coaching experience, which spans 20 years across a variety of sports, along with his familiarity to Jefferson as attributes that made him a desirable candidate for the position.
“We are very excited to have Brent on board as our next head girls basketball coach,” Peterson said. “He brings a variety of basketball coaching experience as well as other coaching experiences.
“He has already made great connections with the current players through summer league and open gyms. The fact that he is an effective educator in our district is also a bonus for our program. We feel he has the drive to help grow both our youth and high school program over the long term.”
Schacht wants his teams to show intensity and play with passion on the floor.
“We’ll play an aggressive style of defense,” Schacht said. “We’re not going to be afraid to change up looks on defense to get other offenses guessing. We’ll show lots of different looks and pressure the ball.
“Our teams will also strive to maximize opportunities offensively while reacting to the other team’s defense. I want to have a system where it can be anyone’s day to shine. We plan to scheme to where anyone can maximize the offense, versus just one person.”
Schacht, a Cudahy native who will be a head varsity basketball coach for the first time, has gleaned knowledge from dozens of other coaches over the years.
“There’s a plethora of coaches I was willing to learn from in my career,” Schacht said. “I’ve always been willing to learn whether it was drills, game strategies, the way they handled difficult situations and I’ve been very open to applying those methods to my coaching.”
Schacht inherits a group with ample varsity experience. The Eagles, who went 14-12 last season, return their leading scorer in senior forward Ashlyn Enke, who averaged 12.5 points per game, along with four of the team’s top-five leading scorers from the 2023-24 campaign.
“Our senior girls’ dedication to the program, intensity and passion they show when they play stands out,” Schacht said. “Teaching fifth grade at the elementary school and coaching, those kids I’ve been around aren’t quite to varsity level yet but will be soon.
“With our four seniors for this year’s team in Ashlyn, Aeryn Messmann, Bre Mengel and Lily Whitstone, we expect a lot of production from that group,” Schacht said. “All will be able to contribute right away while having to mentor the younger kids. The seniors will showcase and model the leadership for younger players.”
Schacht wants to instill a love of the game in his players while equally striving to build lasting relationships off the floor.
“Camaraderie off the court develops into on-court play,” Schacht said. “When I played basketball, I remember not just the games, winning and losing, but relationships and lifelong friends I’ve made through the sport of basketball.”
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