Bob Heiser is very familiar with Penn State York; back in 1966, he earned an associate degree in mechanical engineering technology. Heiser is returning to the campus in a different role; he is taking on the head coaching position for the women’s basketball team at the campus. Heiser helped out last year as assistant coach and is happy to be able to take on the top spot and devote his time to the team.
“We are excited to add a successful local coach like Bob to our staff and look forward to utilizing his knowledge of local programs and coaches to continue to build our program,” said Chris Chris Beaverson, director of athletics at Penn State York.
Heiser, a well-known name in the area, brings more than 20 years of coaching at the high school level to the job at York. He served as head coach at Eastern York High School from 2000-12 and prior to that served as junior varsity coach for five years and junior high coach for two years. As high school coach, he logged a record of 220 wins and 103 loses. Without a losing season, his teams played in the PIAA District III tournament all 12 years and finished in the District III Final Four, four times. In 2007, he coached his team to the district championship.
“I recently retired from coaching high school basketball but really wanted to stay involved in athletics,” said Heiser. “The coaching job at Penn State York really appealed to me.” He also noted that his retirement from General Dynamics Corporation after 32 years as a manufacturing engineer has left him with “all the time in the world to spend on coaching the team.”
Heiser’s basketball philosophy is to recruit quality student-athletes, improve the level of play and college experience, and provide an outlet for young women to build self-esteem based on their accomplishments.
Heiser and his wife of 45 years, Kathy, reside in Hellam, Pa. He has two grown sons, Kevin and Brett. Brett has followed in his father’s footsteps and is currently coaching junior high basketball at Eastern High School.
Penn State York opens its season on the road at 6 p.m. on Nov. 12 against Central Penn.
The York Lady Lions will return four players from last year: Megan Hart, Abingdon, Md.; Brittany Kint, York, Pa.; Courtney Riggs, Hanover, Pa.; and Ashley Wells, Mount Wolf, Pa. Several players earned accolades last season from the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) and the United State Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA).
Riggs received All-PSUAC Second Team and USCAA Division II Second Team All-American honors. She averaged 19 points per game, nine rebounds, and carried a 46 percent field goal average. She also was recognized as a Distinguished Achievement Recipient with the York area Shipley Award.
Kint received Honorable Mention All-PSUAC honors. She carried the highest three-point shooting average in the USCAA, shooting 53 percent from outside the line. She averaged 10 points per game in 22 games.
A spring semester addition to the team, Wells, helped to solidify the paint with her rebounding and shot blocking ability. Hart came off the bench supplying valuable minutes for the team.
With the addition of five freshmen and two sophomore transfers, Heiser plans to build on last year’s performance which landed them in the Elite-Eight tournament of the PSUAC.
Students interested in learning more about playing basketball at York campus can visit sports.yk.psu.edu and complete the online student-athlete prospect form or contact Terri Van Slyke, assistant women’s basketball coach, at tvs1@psu.edu or 717-771-4034.