View full sizeBangor Area High School girls basketball coach Dale Godshalk directs traffic during the District 11 Class AAAA final this year against Liberty. The Slaters would defeat Liberty to claim their first district title.Ask Dale Godshalk what he'll remember most about this year's edition of the Bangor Slaters girls basketball team and you might think the answer is winning the District 11 Class AAAA title.
It is. Sort of.
Godshalk certainly was "part" of the 2011-12 Slaters; he was their head coach, guiding them to a 22-7 record and a berth in the Colonial League playoffs.
Godshalk revealed Wednesday that he has resigned as coach after 10 seasons to spend more time with his daughter Lauren, who lives in Texas, and is expecting her first child.
Bangor's bid for its first Colonial championship since 2008-09 came up short with a loss to Southern Lehigh. But the Slaters as the No. 7 seed in District 11 and the only AAAA team housed in the Colonial League, picked themselves up, licked their wounds and went back to work. They marched their way through the tournament, first beating Pocono Mountain East, then defending champion Northampton, followed by Whitehall and finally, Liberty, to capture their first district title in program history.
For his efforts, Godshalk is The Express-Times 2012 Girls Basketball Coach of the Year. It's the second time he's won the honor, having been chosen in 2007. He completed his 10th season as Bangor's head coach and owns a career record of 158-100 (.612).
Born in Los Angeles, Godshalk was raised in Bangor and played basketball at the high school as a guard/forward for Bill Pensyl, graduating in 1975.
Godshalk, who is self-employed, lived in North Carolina for a time but decided it wasn't the best place to raise a family, not after growing up in Bangor.
Godshalk and his wife, Kathryn, have two grown children, Lauren and Geoffrey. Lauren played basketball at Bangor although she graduated before her dad became the head coach.
View full sizeDale Godshalk, center, poses with the Bangor Area High School girls basketball team.Godshalk's work ethic was evident in this year's team. Bangor relied on strong defensive play, a patient offense and team composure.
Bangor's starting lineup usually had guards Samantha Hopkins, Jessica Dentith and Brianna Bisci, with forwards Audrey Schiavone, an Express-Times All-Area first-teamer, and Morgan McCollian. Taylor Watts and Chandler Zungolo were the first players off the bench.