PSU Magazine Fall 2003

volunteer coach. Somewhat to her surprise, he said, "Sure, just come see me in my office. We'll give you a job." Aschoff assumed she might assist with the girls program, but Neilson had other ideas. On her first day she was thrown into the fire. "John did a good job of introduc– ing me to the team. There were a lot of open-mouthed gazes, but I took it in stride. 1 put them through a drill right away and the guys seemed a little shocked that 1 knew something. The next thing I knew 1was coaching the JV Qunior varsity) boys." 'Wine all seemed to go smoothly for Aschoff as a coach of the opposite gender, not all went smoothly within the basketball program. In a small town that rallied around its school like so many other small towns in America, the varsity coach was feeling a lot of pressure from the community. During Christmas break of that first season, he went to Aschoff and told her he was quitting-immediately. Not sure what she should do, Aschoff went to eilson. He turned over the varsity job to her. "There was a lot of pressure there," admits Aschoff. "At first I wondered whether I should quit as well, but I decided I didn't want to leave the kids without a coach. "My first game we didn't win, but after that the team took off. We had a winning season and went to the (Utah 1-A) state tournament. We played every day at the tournament and ended up seventh in state." This past season, Aschoffs second as a head coach, the team struggled at times, losing eight in a row at one point. "But they came back hard and we got to the state tournament again. " Now, with seven players returning for their third year under Aschoff, she feels the team has enough talent to possibly win the state championship. 'Tm enjoying it and not looking past next year. They have what it takes to compete for a state championship," she says. 'There really is no gender issue for me , and if I had to look at it, I would say that's because it's the way I am. I don't think it's important. " A lready regarded and honored as a "hall of famer" on campus, Portland State softball coach Teri Mariani was selected as one of six people to be inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame on August 16 in Portland. Honored along with Mariani were professional basketball player A.C. Green, pro golfer Peter Jacobsen, Ore– gon State football player Bill "Earth– quake" Enyart, Olympic fencer Michael Marx, and University of Portland soccer coach Clive Charles, who passed away August 26. Mariani's induction into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame was her third "hall" honor. In 1986, Mariani became the youngest person ever inducted into the Portland Metropolitan Softball Associa– tion Hall of Fame. Her award came as a result of both her playing and coaching contributions to the sport. In 1999, Mariani was inducted into the Portland State Athletics Hall of Fame for her accomplishments as an athlete. She will also be eligible for hall honors as a coach upon the conclusion of her career. Mariani has been a coach at Portland State for the past 27 years, compiling a 627-518 record. She has the most wins of any female coach in PSU history and will pass former baseball coach Jack Dunn (630) for most wins overall early next season. Mariani has led nine teams Ar 33, Aschoff is old enough to command respect from her players, but still young enough to compete with them in practice. "They call me 'sir.' But thats because when they were calling me 'ma'am' it made me feel old. "The kids hassle me a little. They know l can still play. Like in the movie The Rookie, they are trying to get me to try out and play again if they win the league championship. I'm still in play– ing shape. 1 reckon I still have about 10 years left in me. I can't play in the WNBA, but 1 could play 10 more years in Australia. " It doesn't seem likely that will occur though. Aschoff has taken her basket- to post-season appearances at PSU with the best finish being third in the nation in 1991. She was twice named West Region Coach of the Year. In addition, Mariani coached Stark Street Pizza, a team loaded with former PSU players, to a silver medal in the ike World Masters Games in 1998. Three-time hall of famer ~~ A native of Portland, Mariani was a three-sport standout at Portland State in the early 1970s. She led teams to national tournaments in both volley– ball and basketball. □ ball talent and knowledge to the coaching ranks and is finding success, while also becoming a science teacher at the school. Several newspapers in Utah have written articles about her as a female coaching a male team. She has worked at summer camps and clinics and is always recognized for her rare coaching situation. "l can't go places without women responding to me. Mothers have told me they would love for me to coach their sons. But I don't care to be known for being a woman coaching a boys team. I would rather be known for winning state champi– onships. " -Mike Lund, PSU Assistant Athletic Director/Media Relations FALL 2003 PSU MAGAZINE 29