Sophomores Pay It Forward

When I walked into the gym yesterday to see who might be in there I was happy to see three of our freshmen, Haley Reynolds, Shannon Jackson, and Asia Jordan all working out. At one basket several cones were arranged in a tight diamond formation and Haley was working on her ball handling while Shannon and Asia were practicing back to the basket and face up post moves at another basket. All three players were completely drenched in sweat and had obviously been working very hard.

But what made me smile the most was watching the one player in the gym NOT working out - sophomore Deanna Tupai. Dee was moving back and forth between the two stations yelling out instructions and providing feedback after nearly every repetition. She looked - and sounded - like a real coach and the freshmen responded by continuing to work harder and harder.

No one slowed down when I walked in and started watching. Eventually Haley finished her ballhandling and started shooting jump shots both off the catch and off the dribble. Right about that time Samantha Thornton walked into the gym and immediately stepped out onto the court and helped Dee rebound for Haley. Not only did the two sophomores rebound and pass but they also constantly encouraged Haley to hold her follow through, stay on balance, keep her feet still, and concentrate. A couple hundred shots later, the workout finally ended and there were high fives all around.

Watching the whole experience unfold was a proud moment for me because it reflected the culture that we work so diligently to establish here at UCC; everyone looking after each other and all working hard to help make themselves and each other better. Dee and Sam didn't have to help the freshmen and the freshmen didn't have to listen to them. After all, they will undoubtedly never all be on the same team again. But the sophomores DID help and the freshmen DID listen and respond and in the end everyone was a little better than when they started.

RIP Krisden Tanabe

Twenty years ago this week, while my dad and I were coaching at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, CA we experienced something that we will never forget and that we still talk about every October. In fact, we talked about it tonight.

After a typical practice, two of our players, Donna Gondringer and Krisden Tanabe, made a trip to the Huntington Beach mall to buy jackets and get their ears pierced before going back to Donna's house. Sitting in his car in front of the house waiting for them was Thomas White, a former boyfriend that Krisden had recently broken up with. Donna continued to walk into the house and left Krisden standing at the end of the driveway and Thomas standing in the street behind an open car door. Moments later there was an explosion and Donna sprinted out of the house and found Krisden down on her knees slumped over, the victim of a shotgun blast. Thomas White then turned the shot gun around and killed himself.

I remember calling players on our team and explaining to them what happened and all of us wondering what we should do next. We all tried to think about the last things we said to her since we would never have a chance to say anything else.

When we finally all got together, Donna and Stacee Johnson both made passionate pleas for everyone to dedicate the season to Krisden and told us that Krisden would not want us just to persevere but would want us to go out and kick ass. And from that day forward we did just that!

We went 37-1 that year and won every tournament we played in, including the California State Championship in March. In the state semi final game Bits Sirchia hit a 50 footer right before halftime that changed the entire game. When the ball left her hand it looked like it was going to be way left of the basket but suddenly made an unexplainable turn and then hit nothing but net. In the locker room Bits said out loud what we were all thinking, "Krisden helped out on that one!"

When we returned home, the first stop was at the cemetery, where the girls gave Krisden her championship medal, shirt, and flowers. They were placed right next to the shirts, trophies, and medals that we had won in previous tournaments. It was a stunning visual reminder of a dominating season and we would have gladly traded it all to spend just one more day with our friend and teammate.

Love your family, your friends and your teammates because you just never know what's going to happen.

We Are Family

It's been a wild couple weeks with everyone moving in, school starting and the beginning of our basketball conditioning class. Having so many players away from home for the first time seems to present a new challenge almost each and every day!

We often refer to our players, both past and present, both UCC and GWC, as one big basketball family and lately I've been reminded over and over that is a true statement. On Thursday my son Jeff had dinner in Westminster, CA with Bits Sirchia (GWC '91) and later this week is having dinner with Lisa Tamamasui-Taula (UCC '96) in Logan, Utah. Not only were they great players but also happened to be great babysitters back when Jeff was 4 and 9 years old.

Kirsten Strawn (UCC '09) has worked out with us the couple days. Abby Line (UCC '98) asked me to write a letter of recommendation for her and Sarona Snuka Palomalu (UCC '99) came by the gym today and talked to all the girls about the importance of a great work ethic. Sarona is currently living in Florida and working as a professional wrestler and made my day when I turned and saw her standing in the doorway of my office.

But the best "family" incident of the week started with a post on Facebook. Micaela Williams Leinonen (UCC '06) is working at the Boys & Girls Club in Eugene and posted that a deserving child at the club was in desperate need of a pair of shoes; even used shoes would be great if they were the right size. Almost immediately, Allson Bickel Shirey (GWC '92) responded by volunteering to buy the kid a pair of shoes and mail them to Micaela.

Micaela and Allison have never met each other in person. Micaela was a three point shooter and Allison was an aggressive, physical post player. They went to different colleges fourteen years apart and live in different states. The only thing they have in common is that they both played college basketball on teams that I have coached and as a result have worked and run and competed and run some more and won. They know exactly what each other has learned, experienced and endured and because of that they have a common bond and a mutual respect. They are part of our basketball family and like all good family members are still looking out for each other, even though they have never met.

We are family and I'm proud to be part of it!

Susan Creek Falls

Yesterday we told the girls to meet at school and to bring workout clothes and a camera if they had one because we were going to run, lift weights and then go on a "field trip."

When they were finished in the weight room everyone piled into two cars and Linda and I drove out along Diamond Lake Blvd. and then followed the North Umpqua River for about 30 miles until we came to Susan Creek Falls. From there we lead them on a hike through the forrest and while walking we talked about bugs, poison oak, and how the air in the woods smells a whole lot different than the air in Los Angeles.

Eventually we turned a corner and walked down a ledge and then the girls suddenly found themselves standing in front of a large, beautiful waterfall. Almost immediately everyone's "inner child" came out and the girls started walking along logs, climbing rocks, wading in the water, looking at crawfish and taking pictures. Almost all had never seen or done anything like that before and Linda and I couldn't help but laugh at all their different reactions.

Run, lift, hike, waterfall, laughing and teammates all added up to a great, great day!

Classic Pranks

Since today is April Fool's Day I thought I'd share a few of the pranks our team has pulled on each other over the years.

Happy Birthday - This one started at the NWAACC Championship banquet years ago when participating coaches were asked to give a brief speech recapping their season. Bill Bachman, former UCC Athletic Director, was in attendance and I ended my short talk by wishing him a happy 63rd birthday even though he was only 50 years old at the time and it wasn't even his birthday. Then I had the entire banquet hall stand up and sing "Happy Birthday" to Bill while he sat their red faced and embarassed. I pulled the same stunt at least a dozen times over the next several years at banquets, restaraunts, faculty gatherings, etc. and it never got old - at least for me!

Never Trust A Sophomore - Not so much a prank but still really funny. Last year sophomore Corynn Jorgensen had freshman Kayla Haines thoroughly convinced that the smaller versions of the Hummer could be driven while completely submerged under water. The gag would have continued longer except that one day Kayla's mom, Brenda, was having lunch with us before a game when Kayla started talking about the car that could drive under water. Brenda got a good laugh out of it too before setting Kayla straight but for weeks afterwards every time someone on the team spotted one of those cars on the road they yelled out Underwater Car.

Let's Sue Subway! This past season Cassandra Tiggett brought a Subway sandwich in to the library to eat while studying with the rest of our team. When she momentarily left the study table, Cassie Scheffelmaier ripped a napkin in half and inserted it into the middle of the sandwich. A few bites later Cassandra started chewing the napkin and was understandably shocked and upset to be eating paper. Almost immediately she picked up her cell phone and called her father, who is an attorney, to explain the situation and to demand that he sue Subway right away. The prank was short lived because by now all the others players were laughing hysterically.

Ding Dong Ditch - Several years ago both the UCC men's and women's teams found ourselves staying at the same hotel in Portland. One of the men's players filled a trash can up with water and tilted it up on one side against his coach's door. With the can in place he then knocked on the door and then ran and hid around the corner while the door was opened. Of course when the door was opened, the can tipped over and practically flooded the doorway of the room. The men's player then suggested that they try the same thing to my door. It only took Lauren Marshall a split second to wisely announce that would not be a good idea!

Squirt Gun Fight - Jakehima Mercier was constantly pulling pranks on teammate/roommate Staci Kleir. One time she put one of Staci's bras on their landlady's dog and let it run through the neighborhood. Another time she set up a "lemonade" type stand in their front yard and tried to sell Staci's underwear. But the best one (also the grossest one) became a team legend. Jakehima took a super soaker water bazooka and filled it with water. Then she took a small water pistol and filled it with her own pee. When both guns were full, Jakehima challenged Staci to a squirt gun fight and in the spirit of good sportsmanship let Staci choose which weapon she wanted to use. Not knowing the small pistol was full of pee, Staci chose the water filled bazooka and the fight was on! Even though Jakehima landed only a few well placed shots, there was no question who won and who lost!

Last Van Ride Of The Season

It's been an emotional few days around here. As we drove back from playing in the NWAACC All Star Game last Sunday, Kristi Fallin sat in the front seat while Cassandra and Mykie slept on the seats behind us and we talked for hours about how hard she's worked and improved over the last two years and then speculated about what the future holds for all of us. Kristi realized and pointed out that the whole trip was one full of "lasts" - the last time wearing her Umpqua uniform, the last time riding in the van, the last time playing with her Umpqua teammates, the last time listening to Jimmy Buffett off my MP3 player, the last time reminding me to wear my glasses while driving, the last time stopping at the Eugene AM/PM etc. etc. Usually we all hate riding in the van this time of year but this time neither one of us was in a hurry for the trip to end.

I really appreciated Titi (Hawaii), Mykie (California), Cassandra, and Cassie (Idaho) all stopping by the office to say goodbye before heading home for spring break. I know they were busy and also very anxious to get home but they still took the time out to come see me before they left. And then knowing that Linda and I would worry about them while travelling, TiTi, Mykie, and Cassie all let us know as soon as they arrived safely. They're basketball players inside the gym and family the rest of the time!

Follow the link below and check out some action shots of the girls:
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/ThumbPage.aspx?e=4577181&g=03&s=0

Christmas Break

The last week has been so hectic and crazy that it just wouldn't be fair to call it a vacation or even a break!! It started at the Chemeketa tournament in Salem where we played extremely well and beat both Treasure Valley (110-65) and Seattle (113-72) and then had the opportunity to play Chemeketa. Once again that didn't work out when Chemeketa couldn't guarantee that the weather wouldn't keep their players from making it back to the gym.

So instead of playing another game, all the girls scattered for various destinations and Linda and I drove back to Roseburg by ourselves. Most of the girls made it home without a problem but not all of them. Mykie ended up spending a day and a half in the Portland airport before she could finally get a flight out to LA; Cassie had to take a 12 hour detour driving to Idaho because I-84 was completely closed; and Titi's standby flight to Hawaii was first redirected to Utah where she remained for the next four days.

Kristi sent me a text Christmas morning asking if I would open the gym again for her after everything slowed down. (We worked out a couple days ago.) So at 7:30pm nine year old Taylor and I picked up Kristi and headed to UCC. As I was driving I couldn't help but making up my own version of "The Night Before Christmas."

"Twas the night we call Christmas and all through the Northwest; not many players were shooting; only the best. . . ."

After we shot for an hour, Kristi kind of put her around Taylor and said, "Now you're a day ahead of every other fourth grader you'll play against." Not only was it a very wise statement but it also gave us great insight into Kristi's thinking. I couldn't help but wonder how many times Kristi has walked out of the gym after working out by herself and thought, "Now I'm one day ahead of everyone else!" Probably too many to count.

(Mykie just called from a pay phone at the Portland airport to tell me that she made it back safely. She is going to meet Titi, who is on a flight now, in an hour and then Cassie will meet up with both of them on her way back from Idaho and drive them to Roseburg. It's always a proud and happy time for "dads" when they see their "kids" looking out for each other!)

Facebook Group

Several weeks ago Michaela (Williams) Leinonen started up a Facebook group called "Dave Stricklin's Hoop Survivors" in hopes of getting both Umpqua and Golden West alumni together to share stories and stay connected. Lately I've been trying to track down and invite as many former players as possible to join the Facebook group and in the process I've received some great emails and have relived some awesome memories.

If you read this and are in contact with any former players and teammates, please encourage them to join the group and share their stories. I've been coaching for a long, long time now and I can honestly say I still don't of any team that works as hard as we do, that works as hard as we've always worked. That work ethic and the committment to be the very best we can be is the thread that binds all of us together. It doesn't really matter whether we competed together over 20 years ago or whether we're getting ready to compete on this year's team - we're all in this together and in my mind we're still just one big team.

Team Spirit

I was sitting here in the office catching up on some things while waiting for our game with Southwestern Oregon when I noticed a book on one of my shelves called “Wooden on Leadership,” by John Wooden. I picked up the book and it opened to a section called “Team Spirit.” Here are a few ideas from that section: “Team spirit is an eagerness to sacrifice personal interests or glory for the welfare of all.” (Notice it says eagerness not just willingness!) “Each individual revels in the glory of the group rather than the glory of the individual.” “There is only one star that counts: the team.”

I couldn’t help but think that this is a trying time of year for a lot of teams. Every game is huge. Playing rotations are usually shortened. Roles change as the needs of the team changes. Some players have continued to improve while some have stayed stagnant. There are even some players who actually look like they have gotten worse, when in reality they just haven’t progressed and improved as much as other teammates and opponents.

The players who have continued to improve over the course of the season and who have become more and more productive want to play more and usually deserve to play more. But for them to play more, someone else has to play less. How teams handle this situation is often times the difference between being champs or chumps. A lot of teams have at least one player who would rather play more than win, but those are usually not championship caliber teams. Championship caliber teams have competitive players who want to play as much as they can but if it comes down to playing more or winning more, they choose winning. And they do so without whining, complaining or making excuses.

So far, our team has been extremely unselfish and supportive of one another and I fully expect it to stay that way. And if it does, we have a chance to accomplish some great things over the next several weeks.

Allison (Bickel) Shirey

On the UCC Women's Basketball home page there is a section called "Dave's Diary" where I have tried to share a few thoughts on some things that are important to me. At the suggestion of a few friends and alumni, I've decided to try my hand at blogging. I'm hoping that what's written here will help keep all of our alumni more closely connected to our program and at the same time give anyone else who is interested a greater insight into Umpqua Women's Basketball.

Here's a "Dave's Diary" entry from last Spring:

As I was driving to the airport this afternoon, I began to reflect on this past season (for about the 1000th time!) and on all of its highs and lows and everything in between.

Dozens of things ran through my mind but one instance stuck like glue.

While trying to recover from an unusually tough weekend, I received a phone call from Allison (Bickel) Shirey who played on our team at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, California from 1990-1992. Even though Allison and I had a very good relationship we lost touch when I moved to Oregon to take the UCC job in 1994. Neither of us could remember the last time we had spoken.

Practically the first thing that came out of Allison’s mouth after I answered the phone was “What the hell is going on up there? How could you possibly lose last weekend? You haven’t lost to them in 12 years!!” I was stunned. “Why do you think we should be able to beat them? How do you know we hadn’t lost to them in 12 years?”

Then Allison said some things that reminded me why I coach and at the same time reminded me what separates good teams from great programs. “Even though we don’t talk very often I think about the things you taught us almost every single day. I have followed the team for the past 12 years. Go ahead, quiz me! Just because I’ve never set foot on Umpqua’s campus doesn’t mean I’m not tied into the program. You will always be “my coach” and your teams will always be “my team.”

I asked Allison why she never called me earlier. “Because you’ve been doing great all these years. But after this weekend I figured you could use a call from someone who believes in you and appreciates what you are doing!” It seemed like we talked forever that night and we’ve talked several times since then.

Fifteen years after our last game together (Allison hit two free throws in the final seconds to help us win our second California Community College State Championship) Allison still “gets it.” She knows that the relationships are meant to outlast the wins and losses. She knows that the journey doesn’t end when the season does. She knows that true teammates are always there in times of need. It won’t show up in the stats but that call from Allison might have been the biggest assist of her career.