A former coach and player who helped put a pair of area basketball programs on the map are being honored for their achievements on the court.
Former Lena High School girls basketball coach Kristine Young-Gabriel and former Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School player Pete Krull are among the 2025 inductees into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Young-Gabriel, Krull and several other coaches and players were scheduled to be inducted during a ceremony Sept. 28 at the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells.
Young-Gabriel taught physical education in the Lena School District for 37 years and was named the high school’s first girls basketball coach in 1975.
It didn’t take long for her to build the Wildcats into one of the state’s top small-school girls basketball programs, as the Wildcats capped a 26-0 season in 1980 with a 70-34 win over Oakfield to win the WIAA Class C state championship.
Meanwhile, Krull helped lead the Chargers’ boys program to the WIAA Class B state championship game in 1975 before playing college basketball at Florida Technological University, now known as the University of Central Florida.
Young-Gabriel
Young-Gabriel, a 1967 graduate of Oconto High School, coached the Wildcats for 21 seasons and finished her career with a 255-169 record.
Her teams won five Marinette & Oconto Conference championships, eight regional titles and three sectional championships.
The Wildcats also advanced to the state tournament in 1990 and 1991. The 1989-90 team dropped a 56-40 decision to eventual state champion Oostburg in 1990 in a Class C semifinal, while the Wildcats returned to Madison the following year and fell to Monticello 66-56 in the Division 4 championship game.
Young-Gabriel retired from coaching in 1994.
Krull
Krull spent all four of his seasons on the Chargers’ varsity team.
He was a first-team all-conference player as a sophomore, junior and senior; was named to an all-state first team; and was also named a high school all-American.
The Chargers made it to the WIAA Class B state championship game in 1975 but fell to Sheboygan Falls 78-60.
Krull’s teams posted an 84-6 record, and he finished with 1,624 points.
Florida Technological University advanced to the NCAA Division 2 Final Four in 1978, and Krull’s teams had a 178-25 record.
Krull graduated from college in 1978 and returned to Wisconsin to accept a teaching position at Marshall High School in Marshall. He coached basketball and football and also served as athletic director in his 25 years in Marshall.
