There’s a parade in the hallways at University HS
There was a commotion at University High last week, all because of one person.
Kids were making excuses to wander the halls, teachers were sticking their heads out of classroom doors, and autographs were being sought.
A movie star in the house? Music diva? Astronaut?
No, Pat Summitt.
If anything illustrates how far women’s sports have traveled in this country, it’s how far the 31-year Tennessee coach traveled just to be seen by U-Hi’s All-American, Angie Bjorklund, and how much of a disturbance Summitt’s presence caused.
“When Pat Summitt came in, that caused somewhat of a ruckus,” said U-Hi girls basketball coach Mark Stinson. “That’s probably been the only (coach’s visit) that’s caused the kids at school and even the teachers to deviate from our schedule.”
The elite of college women’s basketball, many of whom have made a visit to the White House with a national title team, have been making the pilgrimage the past few weeks to the Spokane Valley, drawn by Bjorklund’s talents.
There’s Summitt, winner of six national titles and Angie’s childhood hero; five-time champion Geno Auriemma of Connecticut, who came in on a Saturday en route to doing color commentary on the WNBA Finals; North Carolina’s Sylvia Hatchell, who won a title in 1994; Gale Goestenkors of Duke, who came within a game of a championship; Michigan State’s Joanne McCallie, who got the Spartans to the Final Four last season; and McCallie’s Big Ten rival, Ohio State’s Jim Foster.
They come not to talk with Bjorklund – NCAA rules prohibit anything more than a casual hello in passing – but to be seen. Sure, they check her academics, they talk with Stinson, they poke their head in a classroom or two, but most of all they are here to be seen.
They are here to let the nation’s top junior recruit know they are interested.
“It really blows people’s minds, because these coaches travel 3,000 miles to watch Angie lift weights the last period of the day and to watch an open gym after school,” Stinson said. “They sit there and talk with me or our principal or our athletic director, then they usually fly back the same day.”
So she must be worth it.
“These are the type of programs that don’t have to sell themselves very much, so I think they are being honest with me,” Stinson said. “They keep telling me she’s No. 1 on their list. Everyone keeps saying that.”
Among other things.
McCallie thinks Bjorklund could be the Spartans’ female Magic Johnson.
Summitt told activities coordinator Ken VanSickle that we will be watching Bjorklund play in the Olympics someday.
Next week, Bjorklund and her dad, Jim, will make a circular trip, visiting the schools atop her list. The first stop is Storrs, Conn., then it’s off to Durham, N.C., to see Duke before heading to Tennessee, the Summitt of college hoops. There she will see a football game with South Carolina – in a stadium that will hold more people than live in Spokane Valley.
It’s pretty heady stuff for a girl who just loves to play hoops. It speaks volumes about what type of kid Bjorklund is to listen to Stinson’s description of her reaction to the attention.
“To just say that, ‘Oh, she’s a humble person,’ that gives you a little idea in your mind,” Stinson said. “But most of us would be like, ‘Look who’s here for me,’ but she doesn’t like that. She likes to divert attention. They’ll poke their head into one of her classrooms and all the kids are like, ‘Hey, cool, Duke’s here today,’ and Angie kind of does the wave and puts her head down.
“The kids think the world of Angie, not because of her basketball, really. She’s a popular person because of how humble and how nice she is.”