After the logo on her lapel morphed twice in the last three seasons, Jeanette Gray knows what change can do to a basketball player.

So when she moved again this summer, from the head coach at Highland to take over at her alma mater, Valparaiso, she understood the tears.

"A lack of consistency is never a good way of doing things in a teenager's life," said Gray, who has coached at three schools -- Clark, Highland and Valpo -- in four years.

"It was very tough to leave. Those kids (at Highland) were finally my kids. It was definitely a lot of tears for myself, too."

But with that sentiment, Gray imagined an uncommon occurrence in the Region, at least among this generation: a coach being hired at a school, then opting to make a career in one gym.

"I knew if I didn't take this opportunity to go back to the place that gave me so much and felt like I could give it back, I would regret it," Gray said. "Somebody might have gotten this job and been here for 25 years, and I might be done by then."

In the Region's revolving door of coaching, the odds on Gray having another chance might have been favorable in a few seasons. Eleven local schools are welcoming new girls hoops coaches this season, just two seasons removed from the fall of 2007, when 13 new coaches took the reins. Among this year's 11 are four new coaches in the Duneland Athletic Conference, three new coaches in the Northwest Crossroads Conference, two new coaches in the Greater South Shore Conference and one each in the Porter County Conference and Northwestern Conference.

Five of this season's newest coaches are taking over jobs that also were open two years ago.

"It's real easy as a coach to get burned out," said Crown Point's newest head coach, Mike Cronkhite, who previously spent three seasons at Kouts and two at South Newton.

"With the expectations on a coach to do things in the summer and to run a program year-round, it's a lot of work, and you've really got to have a passion and a drive for it. People thought I was crazy to get out of administration and get back into coaching with that time commitment."

Trying to establish consistency

The explanations for the turnover have varied. In the last year, coaches have left for family obligations, personnel differences, retirement, a lack of on-court success and to take jobs that were vacant for the same reasons.

But the "Hello, My Name Is" stickers at conference gatherings illustrate only half of the story.

In the last four seasons -- during which time Region girls basketball teams have won zero regional titles -- four first-year coaches have hoisted sectional championship trophies: Jon Haas at Hammond in 2007, Lawrence Chase at Hammond in 2008, and both Terrance Allen at Michigan City and Ron Kobza at Kouts last season.

"I don't think the quality of basketball goes down, I just think the kids are struggling more than the coaches," said Stephanie Schulte, in her first head coaching job this season at Hebron. "The coaches know what they want for their teams to be successful. But players have that struggle in 'Which way do we go?' Everyone is going to struggle at first."

When it comes to tournament time, in Class 4A Sectional 1, which consists of E.C. Central, Highland, Lake Central, Lowell, Morton, Munster and West Side, there are two coaches -- Rod Fisher at West Side and Patti McCormack at Lowell -- who have 20 or more years at their current schools. The remainder have completed a combined four years, with first-year coaches at Highland and Munster.

In the other 4A sectional, there are four new coaches -- all from the DAC -- among the eight teams. Jack Campbell, in his 22nd season at Chesterton, and Skeeter Heath, in his seventh season at LaPorte, are by far the two most-tenured coaches in the group who have remained at a single school.

"Consistency is huge, because every coach has a different offensive philosophy, defensive philosophy," said Lake Central coach Leslie Iwema, in her third season as a head coach, though she was part of the coaching staffs of both previous Indians administrations. "I've been at this three years, and this is the best we've looked on defense in the last three because they finally know what the heck I'm talking about, and I have five seniors who have been listening to me for the last three years saying the same thing over and over and over."

Iwema was among the 13 newcomers in the 2007-08 season. She said the time that it takes to implement a new system, advise coaches at the younger levels and turn that system into reality is all part of the process of taking over a program. In her first two seasons at Lake Central, her team has lost twice in the sectional championship game to West Side, including last season's double-overtime defeat.

"Just having stability in a program is what we're stressing at the lower levels," said Chris Seibert, the newest coach at Portage, who was a first-year coach at Morton last season, for the boys team. "It takes at least three years to get your program in at those levels. Obviously there have been some pretty good teams in the area because there are players who have been here who are succeeding at those higher levels, whether or not those teams got past sectionals and past regionals. Three years is what we talk about. That's how long we need to get our program in place."

Success, longevity go hand in hand

Munster's newest coach, Matt Backs, echoes the sentiment.

Before coming from the middle school to the varsity this offseason, Backs heard all the reasons to stay away. He heard all about the concerns of what happens when wins don't pile up as quickly.

He said longevity can help breed success, and success can help breed coaching longevity.

"It's hard for teams to continue traditions and keep rolling," Backs said. "You have to have somebody stay there for a while, and you have to have someone to keep a tradition. If you look at what (10th-year coach) Mike (Hackett) has done with the (Munster) boys, there are kids falling all over themselves to play for him."

Some of the flow of success can stem from coaches taking over at varying times in the offseason. While Cronkhite was hired by Crown Point in April, giving him and his staff the whole summer to train, teach and implement new strategies, Tracie Mezera wasn't appointed to her post at Highland until late July, just before the start of the volleyball season.

The change in staffs in the Region also creates an unknown variable for opponents. Last year's tape can be thrown out as new offenses and defenses change the way basketball is played at each school.

"It changes enough for the coaching staff that I don't know what Crown Point is going to do, I don't know what Michigan City's going to bring, I don't know what Valpo's going to bring," Iwema said. "Every coach puts their own stamp on things, but I don't think the rivalry ever changes. Some may increase with new coaches, but I think the whole complexion changes, especially the first time through the DAC when you wonder: Who are we running up against?"

Overall there are 76 new girls basketball coaches in the state and 63 new boys basketball coaches. Even those in the newest group say the changes mark a new color in the landscape portrait of Indiana basketball.

"It's good for some of us as coaches, because not everyone has had their squad for the last 20 years and has been doing the same thing," Mezera said. "It's good for us to get out there and see each other play. It's almost like starting over, a blank page for everybody."

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Newest batch of coaches

(last season's coach in parentheses)

Crown Point: Mike Cronkhite (Scott Reid)

Hebron: Stephanie Schulte (Courtney Hale)

Highland: Tracie Mezera (Jeanette Gray)

Kankakee Valley: Ryan Myers (Mike Sampson)

Lake Station: Kristy Hite (Gayle Green)

Lew Wallace: Kim Jackson (Angela Hamblin-Blakely)

Michigan City: Mike Megyese (Terrance Allen)

Munster: Matt Backs (Jim Davidson)

Portage: Chris Seibert (Kristen Peterson)

River Forest: Courtney Quigg (Rich Heavilin)

Valparaiso: Jeanette Gray (David McGonigle)