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NILES — With the departure of Jessica Johnson as its girls varsity basketball coach, Niles has turned to another former player to take over the program according to Niles Athletic Director Matt Brawley.

Niles announced former all-stater Sarah [Dreher] Workman will replace Johnson, who has been hired as an assistant coach at Southwestern Michigan College.

Workman, a 2005 Niles graduate who went on to play at Western Michigan University, is bringing with her a staff that includes other former college players. According to Brawley, Workman will be assisted by former Dowagiac all-stater and Bethel University graduate Katy [Stuppy] Costas, former South Bend St. Joseph all-stater and University of Tennessee graduate Sydney [Smallbone] Storey and former University of Notre Dame graduate Becca Goodman.

At Niles, Workman was voted as one of the top 100 players in Michigan her senior year. She set the all-time scoring record of 1,205 points, which was broken by Alycia Patterson in 2020. She was a Class A All-State and All-BCAM selection her senior season and a nominee for the McDonald’s All-American Game.

Workman, who was a three-time All-SMAC selection, led Niles to three district championships, two regional titles and a pair of SMAC crowns.

At Western Michigan, Workman was one of three freshmen to appear in every game for the Broncos, of which she started 16 of them. She averaged 3.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. She would play 86 games for Western.

Workman is scheduled to meet with those interested in playing for the Vikings this season at an informal meet the coach starting at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria.