By John E. Powers, Sports Writer
WEST AMWELL — When Lori Daniel stepped down unexpectedly in October as coach of the South Hunterdon Regional High School girls basketball team, the Eagles were fortunate to have a seasoned replacement close by.
Sam Haimann, who coached the South Hunterdon middle school boys team last year, has replaced Daniel. The Eagles, who finished 4-18 last year, will open the season Saturday at home at 6 p.m. against Allentown. The team then gets into Skyland Conference action Tuesday night with a home game with Mount St. Mary.
Haimann, a 1984 graduate of Bernards High School, went on to play basketball at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg before graduating from Rutgers University. He is a special education teacher at the high school.
Haimann coached AAU teams for 10 years, leading the Hunterdon Hoosiers to back-to-back state championships in 1995-96. He also coached the Voorhees High School junior varsity girls team for six years.
Now the challenge he faces is helping the Eagles improve on their record.
South Hunterdon has four starters back from last year — junior 5-foot-10 forward Britt Ennis, 5-foot-10 sophomore forward K.K. Campbell, 5-foot-5 junior guard Allie Coleman and 5-foot-2 junior guard Steph Davis.
”We have some kids back with considerable time on the varsity level,” said Haimann, who lives in Ringoes. “Ali stepped in at midseason (as a starter), but the rest of them were starting from day one. Ennis has stepped up her game, especially her inside game.”
The sudden responsibility of taking over the team was “crazy,” Haimann said.
”It’s been an adjustment period for both myself and the team,” he added. “I’ve had to adjust my style to them and them to me. We have some major challenges we’re working on. We didn’t get to play in the summer as a team. So we have been working on chemistry.”
The team has gotten a transfer in sophomore 5-foot-7 guard Steph Perovich, who comes over from Immaculata. Junior 6-foot center Corrine Hart, who will probably be out until at least mid-January with a sports hernia, will be a major factor for the Eagles inside game.
Freshman 5-foot-9 guard Sara Phillips has really impressed the new coach. Hart hasn’t played since middle school.
”Hopefully, Davis, Perovich and Phillips can chip in from the outside,” Haimann said. “Corrine will carry the load inside when she comes back. We’re looking to get the ball up the floor. We have some versatility here. We can put a small lineup on the floor or a big team.”
The team, which has scrimmaged Robbinsville, Montville and Florence, will definitely have a challenge with its regular-season schedule. Non conference games with Pennington and Nottingham are scheduled and a Christmas Tournament hosted by New Egypt Dec. 27 that also includes Lindenwold and Keyport high schools.
And, of course, the usual rugged Skyland Conference schedule that features North Warren and defending division champ Belvidere.
The Eagles think they will be much better.
”The girls have set some lofty goals,” Haimann said. “They want to qualify for the (Central Group I) states.”
It was just two years ago the Eagles won the Central Group I title so perhaps that thinking isn’t so far fetched.

