Mike Allen, former assistant girls basketball coach, was named the new girls basketball head coach on Sept. 16. This change comes after Steve Ingram, former head coach, announced that he was stepping down from the position after 27 years.

“It is impossible to duplicate the success that Coach Ingram had.  He is a great coach, and he will be missed,” Allen said.

Ingram was well decorated as a coach, amassing 12 Sunflower League titles, a state championship in 2010 and 555 wins in his career. He also was selected to be on the McDonald’s All-American girls basketball game coaching staff last spring, in which he coached the most elite girls basketball player in the country for a game at the United Center in Chicago, Ill.

Ingram’s decision comes after some health related issues that are not imminent, but make stepping down in his best interest. He will still teach.

For the girls basketball team, Allen hopes he can fulfill some of the legacy that Ingram left.

“[We want] to get getter better each day and make it to state,” Allen said.

Allen comes from within the program, so he knows the team and how it can run most effectively.

The girls basketball team opens their season on Dec. 8 at a tournament in Joplin, Mo.