A Grip on Sports: The best way to remember a lost loved one may be the most personal question someone can answer, even when it plays out in public
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Friday was a tough day. For a lot of reasons. Some parts of life, and death, are harder to deal with than others.
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• How each person deals with loss of a loved one is quite possibly the most personal part of their existence. Those who study and help deal with such things have worked out a formula for the experience, sure. But each of us must walk our own path.
Before my father died, he and I talked a lot about it. Not just his passing. But, in his mind, the most important thing. How I dealt with it.
He was adamant about one aspect. He didn’t want me dropping everything and traveling a thousand miles to his funeral. The tribute he most wanted was who and what I had become. And that I should continue to display it.
He knew what was coming. In the middle of the busiest time of the year for me. College football season.
You have to understand one thing about my dad. A Depression kid, work ethic meant everything to him. It lived deep in his marrow. And he didn’t want his death changing mine, something he was proud to have helped me form.
When he passed the day after my 54th birthday, I got the expected call, finished up the story I was working on, filed it. And then had a long, hard cry.
It was what he wanted. Other, probably, than the crying part. And what I did the next day.
I skipped work. Drove out of Pullman early that fall morning. Up into the mountains of Idaho. Parked the car off a dirt road. Hiked into the woods, carrying a folding chair. Plopped it on the ground next to a stream. Under the pines. Pulled out a book – the same one that is on my bedside table right now – and spent hours losing myself in it.
Why? Because the day reminded me of dad. And a part of our relationship no one but he and I knew.
Dad loved fishing. And was always flummoxed by his only son, who did not. A son who, despite being dragged into the Sierra Nevadas often, would rather pull out a book and read while his dad traipsed up and down the mountain, catching dinner. Dad didn’t get it. He tried to change it. But, in the end, he came to accept it.
Such “adventures” formed a core memory of the man who shaped me. And I felt it was the best way to honor his legacy. As I read, thoughts of our times together invaded my brain. The good. The bad. The in-between. The days spent in each other’s company. The days apart. The days that would now stretch forever only through memory.
Why share this here? Because that day flooded back yesterday afternoon after hearing of Reece Jenkin’s death. And how folks were dealing with it.
Dave Nichols and I texted. We shared thoughts about the Colfax basketball teams playing that night. My first one? There had to be a postponement. It would be too hard on Reece’s children.
But, the more I thought about it, and thought about the relationship Reece had with them, I realized I had no idea what should happen. Though I was sure the Jenkin family did. Knowing Reece, there was a certainty the conversation had already been held, the decision made. Whatever it was, it was personal. And should not be questioned by anyone else.
The Bulldog teams played in the State 2B playoffs Friday.
The girls, behind freshman guard Allie Jenkin’s career-high 41 points, won in the afternoon. And moved on. The boys, the team Reece coached for 14 seasons, played in the evening. The eldest Jenkin sibling, Adrick, scored 34 points. Top-seeded Colfax also moved on to the Arena part of State next week.
No one outside the Jenkin household, which also includes youngest son Ryker and mom Breanne, knows for certain what Reece wanted. But it makes sense to believe whatever happened yesterday reflected his wishes. As it should be.
When people found out I wasn’t leaving Pullman and flying to Southern California for my dad’s funeral, quizzical looks always seemed to follow.
I didn’t care. He wouldn’t have either. He always followed his own path. Taught me to do the same. To stand up for what I thought was right, no matter what anyone else believed. His memory still teaches that lesson every day.
Reece Jenkin was a husband, a father, a teacher, a basketball coach, a man of conviction. Every part of that last sentence is still on display. Was on display Friday. And, no matter what happens over the next few days, weeks, months and, yes, years, will always be on display.
It is what legacy is all about.
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WSU: Around in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, we linked Bill Oram’s Oregonian column about Wayne Tinkle’s firing yesterday. It is available on the S-R website today, so we link it again. … Jon Wilner has his usual mailbag on the Mercury News site today. … Washington finally got around to retiring Detlef Schrempf’s jersey. Not sure any Husky basketball player had more of an impact on Seattle-area basketball during and after his UW career. Especially now with the Sonics on their extended hiatus. … Oregon has been playing well recently. Can it continue against Northwestern? … Colorado has an opportunity today. At No. 5 Houston. It’s also a huge challenge. … USC faces the challenge of ending a four-game losing streak by treating the next game as a stand-alone entity. …The Big 12 hands Arizona a stern test most every game, no matter how healthy the Wildcats are. … The Mountain West regular season title may be on the line in New Mexico. San Diego State makes its final league trip to The Pit. … Utah State still has a say in the matter, but it must handle Grand Canyon at home tonight. … Fifty years ago I was playing college baseball in Southern California. And Boise State had one of its better basketball teams. … On-a-roll Colorado State will roll out the red carpet for San Jose State coach (and former CSU coach) Tim Miles for the final time. … The Oregon women have a crucial matchup Sunday with Washington. … Colorado is at BYU in the regular season finale. … Utah has a player who feels confident on and off the basketball court.
• In football news, Wilner passes along Brandon Huffman’s weekly West Coast recruiting roundup in the Mercury News. Today’s subject? The best defensive transfer for each Pac-12 legacy school. … I had fun reading this Athletic story that tries to predict who will be coaching each Power Four school in 2030. … I’m pretty sure Dan Lanning will still be in charge at Oregon. … Colorado was quick to tie its fortunes to those of Deion Sanders. Was it the right thing to do? … The Idaho Legislature is asking Congress to do the right thing by NIL.
Gonzaga: Yesterday’s column was dominated by tonight’s showdown in Moraga between the Zags and Saint Mary’s. Theo Lawson has his usual in-depth preview as well as the key matchup. My question this morning? Can the ninth-ranked Bulldog men leave the WCC toting something they’ve carried often the past 25 years, a solo WCC title?
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Weber State’s men finish the regular season on the road at Idaho State (tonight) and Portland State (Monday). … Former Washington State athletic administrator Uri Farkas recently resigned after one year as Northern Arizona’s athletic director. He resurfaces this week as an assistant A.D. at Cal Poly.
Whitworth: The Pirates’ first game in Northwest Conference men’s basketball tournament against Lewis & Clark turned out to be nearly perfect. Not only did they win, 76-60, there was also an upset in the other semifinal. Whitworth will meet third-seeded Willamette with an NCAA Division III playoff spot on the line. Ethan Myers has a lot more in this story.
Preps: Dave covered Reece Jenkin’s death three ways. With an obituary. And then with a story on the Colfax girls game. And one more on the boys. … If you haven’t read Dave’s story from last month, it is available here. … We had our thoughts back then as well. … There is also a roundup of other State basketball action.
Seahawks: We mentioned the Hawks’ 2025 NFLPA report card yesterday. And the one F given for Lumen Field’s condition. Yes, there are changes planned, mainly because the World Cup will be in town and a grass field is a prerequisite. Then it’s back to artificial turf.
Mariners: Some pitchers are gearing up a little earlier this spring due to the WBC being around the corner. One of them is Luis Castillo. … We linked this Mike Vorel column on Colt Emerson when it ran in the Times’ Thursday. It is available on the S-R website today. … The M’s lineup might just be good enough on its own to win the American League. … Ryan Bliss doesn’t want to be forgotten.
Kraken: Two losses on the ice since the Olympic break. Now one off it.
Sounders: Seattle will be on the road for six consecutive matches. The long trip starts in Salt Lake City.
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• The book I read in the mountains? It was one written the year I was born. The second book in the best baseball quartet ever. “Bang The Drum Slowly.” Mark Harris’ masterpiece. My way of coping when someone in my life circle dies too young. And everyone dies too young. Until later …