Kenosha.com

Categories

  • Arts
  • Beyond The City
  • Business
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Family
  • Film + TV
  • Friday Funny
  • Food + Drink
  • Health
  • History
  • Humor
  • Kenoshans
  • Lifestyle
  • Local
  • Music
  • News
  • Pets
  • Real Estate
  • Sports
  • Style + Beauty
  • Technology

Notices

  • Obituaries

Get Involved

  • Nominate a Kenoshan of the Week
  • Submit a Story
  • Write With Us
  • Shop Our Store

Resources

  • Business Development
  • Education
  • Non-Profit
  • Tourism/Recreation

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Our Team
  • Contact
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
Shop
Kenosha.com
  • Business
  • Food + Drink
  • Local
  • Obituaries
  • Trending
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
Kenosha native Jason Atanasoff, who is in his 10th season as the head boys basketball coach at The Prairie School, coaches during a game last season.
THE PRAIRIE SCHOOL PHOTOS
Local, Sports

Kenoshan of the Week: Jason Atanasoff

Good deed by The Prairie School coach does not go unnoticed
Andrew Horschak

By Andrew HorschakKENOSHA.COM

Known by many as "Schak" in the community, Horschak was a respected sports writer for the Kenosha News during a 22-year run covering two stints from 1995 to 2018. The Marquette University graduate is Kenosha.com’s first managing editor.

  • TWITTER
  • FACEBOOK
  • LINKED IN
  • EMAIL
  • COPY LINK

Jason Atanasoff and The Prairie School helped a lot of basketball players who were hungry to hoop last week.

While the state-ranked Hawks have been fortunate to play most of their 24-game schedule, the same can’t be said for nearby public schools like Case, Horlick and Park due to COVID-19 restrictions in the city limits of Racine.

When Horlick was finally given the go-ahead to hold its first practice on Jan. 19, Prairie played its 12th game of the season that night. The originally scheduled Horlick-Prairie game was cancelled last month, but the matchup finally materialized on Wednesday, Feb. 3, when Prairie agreed to make room for the Rebels on its already tight schedule. It was Horlick’s second game of the season and Prairie’s 18th.

Jason Atanasoff, a 2001 St. Joseph graduate, is in his 15th year at The Prairie School.

Not only did the Hawks host Horlick at the Johnson Athletic Center in Wind Point, but they also entertained Case and Park, who played each other simultaneously in the school’s original fieldhouse.

“When you look at Jason’s schedule, he has a full slate of games,” Horlick coach Jason Treutelaar said about the Prairie coach. “He could have easily said, ‘Hey, we’re not able to play that game,’ but he was able to get it scheduled and get officials over there and have our parents be able to watch. We jumped at the opportunity.

“What that meant for the three Racine schools to be able to play those games … That says a lot about The Prairie School, their administration, and most importantly, about Jason and what he is all about. Some people might think it’s not that big of a deal, but for our kids, it is a big deal.”

As a result of his goodwill gesture, Atanasoff, a Kenosha native, has been selected as the Kenosha.com Kenoshan of the Week.

“That says a lot about The Prairie School, their administration, and most importantly, about Jason and what he is all about.”

– Jason Treutelaar, Racine Horlick basketball coach

Deflecting praise, Atanasoff said the decision was a no-brainer after Dr. Nat Coffman, Prairie’s head of school and president, gave an immediate green light.

“We were just happy to help out,” Atanasoff said. “I think a lot of people think that Prairie is this pompous, arrogant school that only cares about itself, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. If we can help out any team – Kenosha or Racine – in any way, we’re always going to do anything we can.”

A 2001 St. Joseph graduate and former Carthage football player, Atanasoff is in his 15th year at Prairie. He is in his 10th season as the school’s head basketball coach and fourth year as the school’s athletic director. In his time at Prairie, he has also served as the high school dean of students, the chair of the physical education department and an assistant baseball coach for the Racine Lutheran-Prairie co-op.

Since taking over as the school’s head basketball coach midway through the 2010-11 season, Atanasoff, a two-time All-Racine County Coach of the Year by the Racine Journal Times, has helped turn the Hawks into one of the state’s best Division-4 programs.

Jason Atanasoff celebrates with his children, Braden and Brynn, after his team captured its fourth consecutive WIAA regional title last season.

Despite Monday’s 61-59 loss at Shoreland Lutheran, which snapped a seven-game winning streak, the Hawks still boast a sparkling 17-3 record (11-3 Metro Classic Conference).

“The kids have bought in,” Atanasoff said. “They’re passionate about it. They work hard. Many of them work on their games year-round even if they play a second or third sport. It has been a blast.”

And, he has gained a new fan in Treutelaar.

“Prairie is very talented,” the Horlick coach said. “They are really well-coached and very disciplined. They have a good opportunity to make it to the State Tournament. I really hope they do.”

NOTE: To nominate a Kenoshan of the Week click here or email Andrew@Kenosha.com.

HAVE A STORY TO TELL?

MESSAGE US

More Like This

Business, Local, News

Second round of funding from 1Hope Uptown recovery fund distributed

Money raised went to business and property owners who applied for help

Health

Urgent Relief for millions of men

PAE offers viable alternative to surgery

Food + Drink

Foodie Favorite: Asian Meatballs

Serve with zoodles, spaghetti squash or pasta

Popular Categories

Local

Food + Drink

NEWS

HEALTH

KENOSHANS

SPORTS

TECHNOLOGY

REAL ESTATE

PETS

EDUCATION

Kenosha

THE STORY OF US

Kenosha.com is a local, digital media platform offering interesting, engaging content created by experienced journalists and local professionals. The platform features a wide range of content including news, features, profiles and reviews, showcasing Kenosha’s outstanding people, places and events.

© 2021 Kenosha.com Inc.

RESOURCES

  • Business Development
  • Education
  • Non-Profit
  • Tourism/Recreation

ADVERTISE

  • Submit Your Ad
  • Submit Your Advertorial

ABOUT

  • Meet Our Team
  • Write With Us

CONTACT

  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
SHOP
Kenosha

RESOURCES

ABOUT

ADVERTISE

CONTACT

THE STORY OF US

Kenosha.com is a local, digital media platform offering interesting, engaging content created by experienced journalists and local professionals. The platform features a wide range of content including news, features, profiles and reviews, showcasing Kenosha’s outstanding people, places and events.

  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow

© 2021 Kenosha.com Inc.

Follow us today!

Sign up for the latest news, entertainment and
information from Kenosha.com

ENTER FOR
A CHANCE TO WIN
$500
in local gift cards.

Sign up for the latest news, entertainment and
information from Kenosha.com

ENTER FOR
A CHANCE TO WIN
$500
in local gift cards.