Girls’ basketball: Calabasas has a new coach, game plan
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Even though first-year coach Therese Berner said most of her players don’t have much experience playing basketball and she often spends practices teaching them the basics, such as how to play zone defense or shoot with their off-hand, she said, ‘I’m in basketball heaven.’
That’s because in her 30 years of coaching, she said she’s never had such a passionate team.
Berner, who recently went back to school at Pierce College to earn a bachelors degree in hopes of becoming a teacher, wrote an essay about one of her players, Katie Noonen.
’ ‘A coaches (sic) dream’, that is how I would describe Katie Noonen,’ she wrote. ‘When I walk into the gym Katie is the first one to lace up her shoes and the last one to take them off ... It is Katie’s senior year, her dream is to get a basketball scholarship to college. My dream is to make that a reality.’
Berner has already accomplished one of her goals. Calabasas (5-5) has gained respect in Southern California after winning five consecutive games, and the Coyotes’ two most recent losses were to teams ranked by The Times -- No. 20 Valencia and No. 24 Canyon Country Canyon.
When Berner took the helm, the Calabasas girls’ basketball program was in shambles. Former Coach David Goosen had resigned after he was accused of assaulting an assistant, and three players -- who were dropped by the team -- had complained he had anger issues. Goosen denied the charges and the school’s administration and some of the players’ parents stood behind him.
Berner said the first thing she did when she came to the school was ‘make the girls feel safe.’ Then she made sure the team’s schedule was a bit less safe.
‘Their schedule last year, it was ridiculous. They’d play small schools, teams you’d beat by 60 -- that’s not good for the small schools and that’s not good for them,’ she said. ‘I had to explain to the parents that you may have wins, but they’re not good wins.’
Berner said the team should expect more changes in the near future, such as year-round practices, and said she doesn’t expect to hear any complaints.
After all, she said, ‘I have a very young team -- two seniors, five sophomores and one freshman -- and I always have to tell them to stop playing at the end of practice.’
-- Melissa Rohlin