Marlene Stollings has renewed interest in the Gophers women’s basketball team in her first season as coach. Stollings’ will to succeed has characterized her career—first as a player and now a coach. Her 3,514 career points at small town Beaver-Eastern High School are the most ever scored in Ohio by any girl or boy—including LeBron James (2,657). After graduating from high school in 1993, Stollings played collegiately at both Ohio State and Ohio University. Stollings has been a fast riser as a college coach, with four assignments as an assistant since the 2000-2001 season, and head coaching jobs at Winthrop, VCU and Minnesota dating back to 2011. The Gophers, off to a 6-1 nonconference start, play at Wake Forest tonight in their ACC/Big Ten Challenge game.
During an interview with Sports Headliners, Stollings opened up about herself while answering both basketball and personal questions. She even revealed potential plans to challenge James, known as the best basketball player on the planet, to a free throw competition next month in Minneapolis. Here is an edited version of the interview:
First impression of my Gophers players: “There’s a lot of potential here waiting to be unleashed. This team is going to do something special.”
Fans can know this about the Gophers: “We’re working hard every single day to win championships.”
There’s no better way to celebrate a Gophers win than: “A trip to Taco Bell and a Mountain Dew. I am simple—not high-maintenance.”
Are you not worried about caffeine late at night? “Oh, no. We (coaches) don’t sleep during the season. You know that.”
Everyone should know this about Gophers senior guard Rachel Banham who is the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year: “She has an unbelievable basketball I.Q. She is able to see things out on the floor and read things at a faster pace than her opponents many times. She knows what’s coming next and sees it almost before it happens.”
If I played for myself I would think: “I would probably have scored more points (laughs). I am very much a players’ coach, and I understand the lives that they are leading and what they’re going through on a daily basis having been there.”
What makes women’s college basketball special is: “How much of a team game that it is. You have to share the ball to have success—and the dedication I think that exists in constantly growing the game.”
The one thing I would like to change about the rules: “I think we need to allow players to have six fouls. Especially with the changes that have come into place with them (officials) protecting the offense so much.”
Coaches I have long admired: “Certainly Pat Summitt (Tennessee) for her longevity and ability to win over a number of years, and Tara VanDerveer at Stanford. She just does an incredible job, goes to the Final Four nearly every year. Their ability to do it over a long period of time and stay at the top (is impressive).”
Maybe the two or three greatest players I ever saw: “Sheryl Swoopes, Dawn Staley and Lindsay Whalen. Extreme competitors, gamers, winners and Olympians.”
My sports heroes: “Larry Bird, top of the list. I felt like I really modeled my game, or tried to, after him. When I was in middle school, he was playing for the Celtics. I immediately started following everything about him—from his workouts (and) training, to how he performed on gameday.”
When people talk about my Ohio prep scoring record they should know: (Laughs) “LeBron James has nothing on me.”
This is what I think of scoring more points in high school than James: “Quite honestly, it’s still surreal to me because at the time I had no idea what I was accomplishing. I was driven to score based on what our team needed that night to win a game. Certainly humbling, and something I am just very grateful to have accomplished.”
Do you know James? “I do not. They (U athletic department people) have jokingly told me they are going to coordinate a free throw contest when he comes into town (James and the Cavs play the Timberwolves in Minneapolis January 31). I am all in if they want to do it. I think I can still beat him in free throws.”
If there is a secret to my success: “Perseverance, being resilient, relentless. There is absolutely no shortcut to hard work.”
Where does that perseverance come from? “For me it’s how I am wired. I believe there is an innate desire to succeed at the highest level that I was born with.”
Preparation is important to me because: “Without preparation, you’re never going to be able to seize the opportunities that arise.”
I plan everything including: “My off days (are) pretty planned out.”
If I said it once, I said it a thousand times: “…Your attitude determines your altitude.”
The people that influenced me the most: “My parents (Curt and Ramona). They instilled in me the characteristics that I needed to succeed at a high level. Things like dedication, discipline, hard work—and without them I certainly would not be where I am today.”
My favorite TV shows: “I am a huge fan of ‘Pardon the Interruption.’ If I do have any free time to watch TV, it would probably be ‘SVU’ (Special Victims Unit) or ‘NCIS.’ ”
My worst personal habit: “I get very little sleep because my brain never turns off.”
My weight would go crazy if: “If I could relax and eat normal.”
Five famous people I would invite to dinner: “President Abraham Lincoln, Hillary Clinton, Warren Buffet, Oprah (Winfrey), Condoleezza Rice. That would be awesome.”
Books on my nightstand I am currently reading: “Well, currently it would be a computer with (game) film every night. But in general, I gravitate towards all sorts of leadership material as well as basketball books, or sports books—coaches that have been very successful regardless of sport. I am very much interested in learning how they have done what they have done, and how they’ve gotten where they’ve gotten.”
When I was first asked to coach a men’s basketball team in Europe I thought: “They were playing a joke on me. I turned them down about three times, and the fourth time I just showed up to the gym to see if they weren’t serious. I had a practice plan in place just in case, and sure enough I walked in and they were ready to roll. I acted like I had no other anticipation of what was going on and I just went right into practice with them.”
If you move to Mississippi like I did as an assistant coach you better know this about Southern culture: “You can go a lot of different ways with that (answer). You better learn to love shrimp and grits.”
Did you like shrimp and grits? “I liked them when I was there. I don’t seem to have had had any since.”
The perfect bedtime snack: “A bite of chocolate.”
Any favorites? “Mr. Goodbar.”
All I want for Christmas: “To see my family (parents). I have not missed a trip to Ohio ever, so that’s always a big treat to see them for two or three days.”
What people don’t realize about growing up in a rural area: “How closely and tight-knit the people are. I think you develop lifelong relationships that sometimes you don’t get when you are in a more heavily populated area. In fact, to this day I keep in contact with many of my former high school (and) middle school teachers, and coaches.”
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