Ignatius L Hoops
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https://theathletic.com/336029/2018...rs-coach-hutchinson-dawn-staley-cheryl-reeve/
“It’s hard to describe the impact she had back in 2000, 2001, 2002 when the state went crazy for girls basketball,” current Hutchinson girls basketball coach Tim Ellefson said. “She changed opinions about girls’ abilities. Not only did she change the men, she changed the little girls. Now the little girls are thinking, ‘I can do more than just dribble with my right hand. I can go behind my back, I can spin. I can do what the boys do.’”
It’s this connection to the sport and community, those who know her say, that makes her ideally suited for the task ahead. With Whalen’s hiring as the Gophers’ head coach, an opportunity exists to spread the Whalen Effect to all corners of the state, and for Whalen to further solidify her place among the all-time greatest Minnesota sports figures...
...One of the biggest questions has been recruiting. Sure, the chance to play for an incredible talent might be too good to pass up, but there is a lot of competition. Still, Ellefson — also the head coach of the elite Minnesota Fury AAU team — says that now that Whalen is the Gophers’ head coach, there is already reinvigorated enthusiasm about the U of M in the prep community.
“It does change the relationship with the Gophers a lot,” Ellefson said. “For some reason the local AAU programs have not had terrific relations with the Gopher program, mostly because the coaches haven’t had a lot of Minnesota ties. Now it’s just the opposite and she’s already spent more time watching our Minnesota kids play than the other head coaches have in the past eight years probably....
...“Lindsay’s good at having perspective,” Reeve said. “Lindsay will understand how hard they have to work, may not understand why they’re not doing something, but at the end of the day she understands when to leave a drill when it’s not going well. She understands when somebody needs a pat on the back. That’s what she does for our team. She understands when to be funny, so I think she’ll be all of those things for the Gopher program.”
Ellefson says he will do what he can to see that she succeeds.
“I think the High School Coaches Association and the AAU programs are going to do whatever they can to help her out,” he said. “If she came and asked me about a Minnesota Stars player, what I thought about her and she’s not in my program, I’m going to give her the honest opinion. If I think she can help the Gophers, I’ll encourage (Whalen) to take her.”
“It’s hard to describe the impact she had back in 2000, 2001, 2002 when the state went crazy for girls basketball,” current Hutchinson girls basketball coach Tim Ellefson said. “She changed opinions about girls’ abilities. Not only did she change the men, she changed the little girls. Now the little girls are thinking, ‘I can do more than just dribble with my right hand. I can go behind my back, I can spin. I can do what the boys do.’”
It’s this connection to the sport and community, those who know her say, that makes her ideally suited for the task ahead. With Whalen’s hiring as the Gophers’ head coach, an opportunity exists to spread the Whalen Effect to all corners of the state, and for Whalen to further solidify her place among the all-time greatest Minnesota sports figures...
...One of the biggest questions has been recruiting. Sure, the chance to play for an incredible talent might be too good to pass up, but there is a lot of competition. Still, Ellefson — also the head coach of the elite Minnesota Fury AAU team — says that now that Whalen is the Gophers’ head coach, there is already reinvigorated enthusiasm about the U of M in the prep community.
“It does change the relationship with the Gophers a lot,” Ellefson said. “For some reason the local AAU programs have not had terrific relations with the Gopher program, mostly because the coaches haven’t had a lot of Minnesota ties. Now it’s just the opposite and she’s already spent more time watching our Minnesota kids play than the other head coaches have in the past eight years probably....
...“Lindsay’s good at having perspective,” Reeve said. “Lindsay will understand how hard they have to work, may not understand why they’re not doing something, but at the end of the day she understands when to leave a drill when it’s not going well. She understands when somebody needs a pat on the back. That’s what she does for our team. She understands when to be funny, so I think she’ll be all of those things for the Gopher program.”
Ellefson says he will do what he can to see that she succeeds.
“I think the High School Coaches Association and the AAU programs are going to do whatever they can to help her out,” he said. “If she came and asked me about a Minnesota Stars player, what I thought about her and she’s not in my program, I’m going to give her the honest opinion. If I think she can help the Gophers, I’ll encourage (Whalen) to take her.”
