Dru Gilliam, as head coach, and Rachel Pham, as assistant coach, will lead the girls’ varsity lacrosse team as of late December 2016.

The school sought new coaching staff after the varsity team’s previous head coach, Courtney Schneck, announced in the fall semester of 2016 that she would not be returning.

Gilliam found a place on the team after Schneck’s recommendation.

“I was asked by several parents. Although, the biggest endorsement came from our previous coach and my friend, Courtney Schneck,” Gilliam wrote in an email. “She and I had a long conversation about the position and the direction of the program.”

Schneck said she believes Gilliam will make a great fit as the new coach. His daughter, Julia Gilliam, graduated from Oak Park last year and played both soccer and lacrosse. He has coached youth lacrosse and been a faithful follower of Oak Park lacrosse for years.

“He’s been a big supporter of the team and Oak Park High School for many years and he’s very knowledgeable about the game,” senior Cam Bear wrote to the Talon. “We feel very confident about this change.”

Gilliam’s new role nevertheless comes with challenges to overcome with his team.

“We are a team that is replacing 10 starters, so even though a large portion of this team has been playing lacrosse for years, we are a young team when you look at both our age and experience at the varsity level,” Gilliam wrote.

Despite all of the changes this year, there will been a few returning faces. Pham graduated from Oak Park High School in 2016, and played lacrosse during her time at the school.

“We’re very lucky this year to have alumna Rachel Pham as an assistant coach. She’s played side-by-side with us and knows the game and all of the girls really well, which will make this transition easier,” Bear wrote.

This season, Gilliam plans to implement a new type of leadership. The team will have a leadership council consisting of five players. Three of these five will be the seniors, and the other two spots will be announced within the next two weeks.

Bear mentioned how the two coaches have continuously made the whole team feel included in all of the decisions.

“Coach Gilliam and Rachel Pham have made it a priority to include us in a majority of the decisions being made and have really gone above and beyond in answering the questions and concerns we have,” Bear wrote.

Gilliam said he looks forward to the upcoming season with his team.

“[The girls] are eager, enthusiastic and determined. [If I know one thing, it’s that] they absolutely want to do whatever it takes to continue the program’s success,” Gilliam wrote. “They want to write their own story and leave their own mark.”