Kulig named Eleva-Strum boys basketball coach

When longtime Eleva-Strum boys basketball coach Rich Roginski stepped down last month, assistant coach Cory Kulig seemed the logical successor.

It's now official. Kulig is the Cardinals' new coach.

Kulig was informed of his hiring a week and a half ago and approved by the school board Monday night.

"I'm definitely excited," Kulig said. "It's going to be a lot more pressure. We've had a lot of success the past few years. It's a new challenge for me. It's something different. I'm looking forward to working with the kids I've worked with at the JV level the past few years."

For the past six seasons Kulig has served as Roginski's top assistant. In his playing days, he was a standout at Independence and later UW-Eau Claire.

The 6-foot-8 Kulig was a 1992-'93 first-team All-Northwest pick as a senior. While in college he also served as an assistant at Eau Claire Regis, coaching the freshman team. There he coached under current Memorial coach Greg Van Grunsven.

Kulig takes over an Eleva-Strum team that went 27-0 and won the WIAA Division 4 state title. Nearly the entire rotation graduated.

"We definitely have our work cut out for us," Kulig said. "We'll have a big bull's-eye on our chest. We've got some good athletes, good kids. I think we can accomplish some good things."

— Joe Ziemer