Leaving a legacy: LeBlond head coach reflects on time at the helm

By Kirsten Stokes

Basketball is about more than making every shot. For Bishop LeBlond head coach Jackie Steltenphol, it’s about the legacy and the family that you build along the way.

“It’s definitely been an honor to coach at my alma mater and I feel like it’s been my home since being in high school,” Steltenpohl said.

After eight years, Steltenpohl is leaving her coaching role to spend more time with family. But it’s not easy stepping back from her LeBlond basketball journey.

Before she was a coach, she spent years playing for the Golden Eagles. Now, she’s been coaching girls basketball alongside her father, Mike Ziesel, for years. Together, they led the team to second place in the state championship in 2023.

“Not a lot of people get to have that feeling as a high school athlete and sometimes college too,” Steltenpohl said.

Steltenpohl has spent this year as more than just a coach. She’s a mom, too, after welcoming her baby girl, Sophie, in June of last year. Balancing both the team and motherhood took a village.

“My assistant, Stephanie, has been my ride or die. Just with dealing with the pregnancy last year and having a baby over the summer, she’s been there since the beginning,” Steltenpohl said.

Senior Kaleigh Ziesel, her niece, saw Steltenpohl’s leadership play out in practice and at games.

“If someone falls down, make sure that you go and pick them up,” Ziesel said. “Always get the ball for the ref and things like that, so she was always good at teaching us the good leadership rules that we continue to use as we grow.”

For Steltenpohl, her students are more than just athletes.

“These girls have been a part of my family and they always will be and I think that giving that up is going to be hard and challenging,” Steltenpohl said.

Senior Kyla Conard knows that even though Steltenpohl is moving to a different phase of life, as is she, Conard will look back on her time with the team and think of family.

“I will always appreciate that for the rest of my life. All my teammates and my coaches that helped us succeed. It was not just because of the good athletes that we were, it’s because we had that strong connection,” Conard said.

It took hard work and going the extra mile, but under Steltenpohl’s leadership, the Bishop LeBlond girls basketball team has been about more than making shots.

“These girls are my family,” Steltenpohl said.