Basketball through and through

It has been written that it takes a village to raise a child. In the development of University stars Jami and Angie Bjorklund as Division I basketball talent, it has been all of that and more.

Not the least of it having good genes.

“Obviously I think that genetics has something to do with it,” said the girls’ uncle, Steve Ranniger. “But a lot of kids come from great genes. It’s a kid’s internal drive and ability to be coached that helps to determine if you move onto the next level.”

It could be argued that that mindset is genetic as well, along with the athletic talent and size on both sides of their basketball-crazy family.

Their mother’s (Kris’) dad, Duane Ranniger, was a purposeful and strong-willed player (Central Valley and Washington State University) and coach, including at West Valley, which won two state basketball trophies in his nine years.

“Basketball has always been important to me, as you know,” Ranniger said.

The product of a broken home and raised without a father, Ranniger found his niche in sports, starring in three at CV.

“I wouldn’t have gone to college if I hadn’t played,” he said.

Ranniger played for two seasons under Jack Friel at WSU and then for Marv Harshman. New coach Harshman took away everybody’s scholarship, Ranniger said. He earned his back.

The girls’ father, Jim Bjorklund, and Steve Ranniger were double-figure scorers on third-place, state-placing University boys teams, in 1975 and 1984-85, respectively.

“Basketball was my favorite sport,” said Jim, a three-sport Titans athlete.

Shooting, not defense was his forte.

“In my mind, if I can make more than you do, I’ll win; if you make more than me, you’ll win.”

Steve played on U-Hi’s last two state-qualifying boys teams and was part of a senior Greater Spokane League trio who finished their careers as three of the top-four all-time career scorers. He later played for the University of Oregon.

Neither Bjorklund nor Steve Ranniger had the outside basketball opportunities players have today; although, Duane and co-coach Bill Ames put together a national-qualifying AAU team when their youngsters were in seventh grade, and, said Duane, put on the first local AAU tournament here in town.

Jami’s and Angie’s passion is an obvious extension of the family’s basketball Jones.

“You don’t have much choice when Grandpa is a coach and loves basketball,” Jim Bjorklund said, “and Uncle Steve is always around and played for the Ducks and we both love basketball.”

Jim started them in organized basketball and provided motivation. Duane coached Jami through YMCA and AAU ball and was a stickler for fundamentals and mental toughness.

Steve, who moved back to Spokane Valley with his pharmaceutical sales job six years ago, joined Jim as Angie’s AAU coach and “after the first practice I decided to take over.”

He helped Ron Adams coach both sisters last summer with the Spokane Stars and only half-jokes that if Angie goes away to college he’ll seek a transfer with his company to watch her play.

Mom Kris has been the fund-raiser-bookkeeper and team mom, “who keeps the uniforms clean,” on all the kids’ teams.

Don’t get started about family gatherings, where the topics of conversation nine times out of 10 gravitate to basketball.

“It’s loud,” Kris Bjorklund said, adding that her daughters’ teammates like to be there just to watch the interplay.

Their high school coach, Mark Stinson, offered his own take on the family relationship with the careers of the Bjorklund sisters.

“I don’t know if it’s a matter, now, of everybody wanting to help them, as it is of everybody trying to keep up with them,” he said.