Jennifer Nobles @theunion.com

(PLACERVILLE, CALIFORNIA) July 13, 2022 — Jenn Krill was in seventh grade the first time she picked up a basketball. Her decision to do so shaped her life from then on.

On Saturday, Krill — who coaches women’s basketball at Bear River High School — was inducted in the Sly Park Hall of Fame for her contributions to the game.

Sly Park is an environmental education center near Pollock Pines where Krill has spent weeks during her summers for seven years coaching women’s basketball camps as part of the Sly Park Fundamental Basketball School.

The basketball school opened 40 years ago and since then over 15,000 players have made their way through the program. The Hall of Fame began about a decade ago in what the school director Steve Williams said is “a small token of appreciation for the kind, loving instruction this staff has provided. “

Krill said when she began playing, “I knew I loved it. I liked playing every sport but always had a different passion for basketball.”

She especially enjoys the competition and teaching her student athletes the importance of teamwork both on and off the court. She acknowledges that some kids are born with that competitive edge, but that in her eyes everyone has it within them.

“I love the feeling of teamwork. I don’t like the individual focus; that’s what I like about (basketball). It’s not about what a single person accomplishes. I hope kids take away that we all have to work together. Nobody is on their own.”

Krill enjoyed a decorated career during her own high school days, where she played three years of varsity for Nevada Union. In 1989 and 1990, the team won section championships.

Since then Krill has coached basketball at Del Campo High School as well as her alma mater, then moving on to Bear River, where she has been for two years.

Last March she led her Lady Bruins to a section championship.

DEDICATED COACH
She said she doesn’t play much anymore but is a dedicated coach and […]

Read More