Kristi Fallin's Oregon Debut

Went to historic Mac Court last night on the campus of the University of Oregon to watch former UCC Riverhawk Kristi Fallin make her Oregon debut in an exhibition game against Southern Oregon University. It didn't take long for 10 year old Taylor to mention that it looked strange seeing Kristi in a different uniform and I must admit she was right! If Kristi was nervous she didn't show it and I thought she played well even though she didn't have a record setting shooting night.

It was great to see Micaela (Williams) Leinonen there too. Micaela set the Umpqua single game record of 10 three pointers made in a game before accepting a scholarship to NNU and was there to support Kristi as well.

UCC alum Amy Waltenburg also made her Washington State debut last week in WSU's exhibition game against Lewis-Clark State. I'll try to get some pictures of Amy up here as soon as possible!

It's pretty cool having two former players in the Pac 10 and I'm already looking forward to the Oregon-WSU game!!

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!

UCC Campus Community Comes Up Huge

Two weeks ago I sent out a mass email to the entire UCC campus community volunteering to pick up any and all household items that would otherwise be discarded or possibly donated to charity. With every one of our new players coming from out of the area, including 10 players coming from out of state, I was confidant that I could find a good home for nearly everything. The response has been nothing short of amazing! Mattresses, couches, silverware, glasses, lamps, etc. etc. have all been offered, accepted and picked up and will all be put to great use by some extremely appreciative student-athletes.

In return our team has offered to "pay" for the donations by doing yardwork, babysitting, housework and other chores that will not only show our appreciation but will undoubtedly help us all bond as well. In a age where way too many young people have been spoiled their whole lives and have had everything handed to them, I think it's great that our players are not only willing but anxious to work for everything they receive!

Donations are still coming in, but once everything is picked up and distributed, I'll post the names of all those who contributed here in the blog. But until then . . . THANK YOU everybody, you've made a huge difference!!

Mykiea Russell & Fastbreak Wins Say No Championship

Last week UCC's Mykiea Russell (#1 in the picture) and her Fastbreak teammates won the prestigious Say No Classic Championship. The Say No is an NCAA approved summer league that is made up primarily of D1 and D2 players and is played in the old PE gym on the USC campus. Read about the championship game and see pictures on Sue Favor's They're Playing Basketball blog at http://hoopism.blogspot.com/.

Anson Dorrance on Parents

Took our daughter Taylor to her first U11 soccer practice this afternoon and while she was playing I sat on a picnic table and caught up on my reading of Anson Dorrance's "Vision of a Champion." Coincidently, the chapter I read centered around players and their parents and some of Dorance's thoughts made me think and are definitely worth mentioning here.

"What doesn't work is a daughter without strong character and the same type of parent. Those two, who are not willing to take personal responsibility for anything, bond together and develop a self righteous, judgemental view of the world, which is especially damaging to the daughter. What you have in this dynamic is a player who whines to her parent, and a parent who supports and justifies the whining and then whines to everyone else."

"Almost every stressed out, self destructive (soccer) player is characterized by overmanaging parents."

"In fact, in my experience, players whose parents keep their distance actually end up developing faster and better, and with less stress and pressure, than those whose parents want to be overly involved in everything."

"The way parents can help their children. . . . . is by not comparing their children's performance with a rival teammate or by jumping in with both feet and fighting any of their children's battles. If sports can have any value off the field it is in the athletes dealing with the difficult, but ultimately empowering challenges on their own."

So good luck this season Taylor. I am not going to be one of "those" parents. Listen to your coaches. Play hard. Compete every day. Don't whine, complain, make excuses, or blame anyone else. And above all else, remember that being an athlete is not about what you can get but it's about what you can become!

Winning Mentality

One of the books that I've been reading lately is "Vision of a Champion" by Anson Dorrance, the UNC women's soccer coach and winner of close to two dozen NCAA Championships. In the book, Dorrance talks about such things as working towards personal excellence, the competitive cauldron, and developing a winning mentality. He also devotes a chapter to parents and other supporters who, if not careful, can do more harm than good to their child's long term success. So far it's a great book that should be read by coaches, athletes, and parents.

Here's a short excerpt from Chapter 5: "The winning mentality is partly optimism, but mostly its a combination of focus, pride, competitive anger, relentlessness, hardness, fitness and courage - all the most descriptive words for competitive athletics. This type of mentality is not about skill or tactics. What it comes down to is intense desire. To get this winning edge you need to build an indomitable will. This means you must be relentless; you must never give up."

"What I love about this mentality is that it's not a talent; it's not part of a genetic code you're either born with or not. It's a choice, a decision you make to develop it. It's not an easy choice, but it is what is going to elevate you from the ordinary player. The question is: Can you make the choice to be indomitable?"

Former Player Future TV Star

Former UCC star Sarona (Snuka) Polomalu, pictured at the left with Taylor, was in town for a couple days and came by the house to see us yesterday morning. Sarona played as hard as any player we've ever had and her intensity and enthusiasm impacted every single practice and every single game. Fortunately for us, she never learned the meaning of half speed. It's been ten years since she played but I remember Sarona diving into the stands, to chase a loose ball, with such force that she broke a fan's finger. I remember her being the MVP of the LA Valley Tournament in Los Angeles even though she scored relatively little. I also remember her bringing dinner to the office when she knew Linda and I would be there late. (Her teriyaki chicken is the still the best I've ever tasted!) Regardless of the circumstances, Sarona was always there for her coaches and teammates and never complained or expected anything in return. I still know that if Linda and I ever needed her, she would be here in a second.

Sarona, whose father is profesional wrestling champion Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka and whose cousin is Duane "The Rock" Johnson, is now living in Florida with her two young daughters and getting ready to embark on a professional wrestling career of her own. I had to laugh when Sarona told us that after hurting too many women, she now has to train against men!

As we sat and talked, Sarona told us how grateful she is for her Umpqua experience and how the focus, work ethic, and mental toughness that she developed here changed her life. She must have still been thinking about us because early this morning at 1:57am Sarona sent me a text. "Coach, I'm at the airport waiting for my flight but just wanted to thank you again for everything you've taught me."

You're welcome Sarona! I can't wait to see you on TV!!

Being A Great Player Is An Uphill Battle

It's a widely accepted theory that great teams are made during the season and great players are made in the off season. If that theory holds true, returning sophomore Mykiea Russell can look forward to an awesome sophomore season. Not only is she competing with and against D1 players in the famous Say No Classic summer league in Los Angeles, but she is also working out under the direction of coach/trainer/author Sue Favor. Their most recent workouts consist of running the sand dunes at Manhattan Beach. Next March when Mykie still has gas in the tank, when her legs and lungs are as strong in the last five minutes as they were in the first five minutes, she's going to look back and know that her uphill sprints in the heat of July has paid off.