12/14/2010 - Alumni Game Fun
Just as the ball was to be tossed up for the opening tip, a singular voice echoed throughout the gym at Sparta High School.
“Go, Mommy!”
And immediately after the child’s cheer was heard, almost every player’s head on the floor turned to see who was shouting the encouragement as the gym exploded into laughter as almost every player on the floor was a mom.
That was the spirit of the first-ever Alumni Lady Spartan Basketball Game held about a month ago which reunited some of the top teams and players Sparta girls hoops coach Fred Geffken had ever coached in his legendary three-decade career.
The game was a treat to all girls basketball fans in the area as former Spartan star Cathy Willie helped put the game together in about three weeks time. Willie, who played on Geffken’s first state championship team in 1985 before going onto a splendid career at Wake Forest, was ecstatic about the turnout.
She was able to lure back some legendary Sparta girls hoops legends like Liz Hanson, whose child was the one who shouted before the tip, the Reigstad sisters, Helene and Laura, Melissa Yeagley, Paige Simpson, Meghan Jent, and the list goes on.
As someone who covered many of Geffken’s teams over the years it was a fun trip down Memory Lane, especially seeing the 2001 state championship team. I covered that group right until the Tournament of Champions when it fell to Columbia.
It was fun talking to the players to see what they were up to and what was going on in their personal lives, kids, jobs, husbands. But it was obvious to these women what the sport of basketball and playing for Sparta meant to them.
The game allowed them to continue their careers at the college level from junior college to top-flight Division I. It also gave them life lessons and helped them to prepare for life without competitive basketball. Every player I talked to had continued their winning ways off court using the lessons they learned from the sport and especially from Geffken.
Ah, Geffken. The mastermind behind the Sparta program. Fred has an amazing career mark of 673-142 in 31 seasons. As Sparta Principal and former Sparta boys hoops coach Dennis Tobin said, Fred has built the most successful girls program in the state the last 30 years.
And as Fred will tell you, he is the only active coach that has a winning record against the winningest coach in state history, another legend, Jeff Jasper at Pascack Valley.
Before Geffken came along, Newton and Pope John had produced the top players in the county with Linda Cordes of Newton leading the Braves to a section crown in 1977. Cordes would score over 2,000 points and continue her career at Delaware.
Franklin/Wallkill Valley and Hopatcong were good as well in the late 70s early 80s, but Geffken set the gold standard when he started pumping out 20-win seasons without batting an eye and developing D-I talent at an amazing rate.
The 1985 championship team had seven D-I players on it. Yes, seven. Pretty incredible, huh? Most schools in the area can’t even boast seven D-I players in school history let alone seven on one team.
Over the years several teams threatened Sparta’s lofty perch and some with success. Jefferson, under Jim O’Connor, who has over 400 wins, has been a nemesis for Geffken, but the numbers tell a different story.
Jefferson joined the Sussex County Interscholastic League in 1982, and in 27 seasons of league play, Sparta owned a 40-14 record and 53-18 mark overall during that time over the Falcons.
Not very close and the Falcons have the best record against the Spartans than any other team from the area. Although, High Point has 16 overall wins with many of those coming in the last four or five years under Chris Dexter, who has developed an outstanding program up in Wantage.
The girls hoops in this area has always been good with Sparta and Jefferson winning state titles, Newton, Pope John and North Warren qualifying for the state finals and Hopatcong and Wallkill Valley winning section crowns.
And in my opinion, there is a direct correlation to Sparta’s success. In order to be the best, you have to beat the best, the old saying goes. And when the top dog lives in your neighborhood, it will only make you better.
Sparta provided the local teams a goal to shoot for. Sure, some feel that Sparta would run up scores against weaker teams, a claim I feel is not true, but it gave those teams a glimpse of what to work for.
And in my opinion, Geffken has been nothing but a class act over the years and has won with grace and dignity en route to three state crowns, 12 section titles and 18 league championships.
The Spartans have come back to the pack over the last couple of seasons averaging about 13 wins a year after posting 20-wins plus a year for two decades. But the way I look at it is that the rest of teams have caught up.
I feel other coaches have copied what Geffken had done with the feeder programs and started to do the same in developing their programs from the grade school up, not from freshmen year.
So it is not like the talent has left Sparta, no it is still there, but other schools have decided to put the time and effort in like Geffken did years ago which reminds me of the story Helen Reigstad wrote for the program for the Alumni Game.
She wrote that at 5-foot-10 in eighth grade, she wanted to be a skier. But Geffken visited the eighth grade class, saw Reigstad and told her that God had given her height and she should put her gift to good use.
Pretty persuasive argument, especially when it comes from one of the top police officers at the time in Sparta. But that is Fred.
It was fun watching him as players from years past came up and hugged him. It was like watching a grandfather at a family reunion. He couldn’t have been happier.
So as the girls hoops season kicks into gear this week in the area, whether you like Sparta or not, you have to give Geffken and the Spartans some credit for making girls hoops in the area one of the best in the state.
That's it for now, see you on the sidelines.
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