By Robert Paul
I interviewed Coach/Ms. Lumkes, and from our time together, I learned more about the DDHS girls’ basketball program, its connection to our community, and its academic benefits.
Coach Lumkes started her famed coaching career back in the 90s, where she coached at a high school near the Illinois-Indiana border called “Illiana.” She also scouted for a local small college. She briefly stopped coaching when she worked as a landscape designer in Illinois. Lumkes made her return to coaching in Delavan-Darien while running a youth program on Saturdays for 4th-8th graders. She also mentioned that many good relationships were built with parents and athletes during that period. Lumkes eventually coached for the DDYB boys here in Delavan, and was offered a boys coaching job at the high school by Coach Pyszora. She was an assistant to Varsity and then coached the JV2 boys during her second year. When the girls’ program eventually had an opening for an assistant under Coach Speth (yes, that’s Mr. Speth!), Lumkes took the job. When Coach/Mr. Speth retired a few years ago, Lumkes took over as the head Varsity coach for the girls. She just completed her third coaching season Lumkes mentioned that she enjoys coaching very much, especially when she sees the players develop and has known them since 4th grade.
I asked Coach Lumkes a series of questions. One question was about building a program throughout all the middle schools in Delavan-Darien as a feeder to the girls’ basketball program in DDHS. Lumkes explained that it presents a unique situation where there are pros and cons. She presented the pros: “It also provides opportunity for personal player growth, both mentally and physically, that makes for a strong foundation. We have 4 different teams, allowing for 20 different kids to start in a game on any given night. That means, including players on the bench, we could have as many as 40 plus 5th-8th grade athletes seeing the floor on each of these game nights. We have multiple athletes in each role on a team. You might be a shooter or a defensive specialist, a rebounder or a main ball handler.”
However, there are cons to having multiple middle school programs at the same time, especially the lack of cohesion. Lumkes contended, “Separate feeders do not provide a cohesive team throughout the early development of the program. It also puts a lot of stress on schools to get numbers on the bench for each program, especially when playing schools 2-3 times our size with players coming out of their ears.” Having multiple programs at the middle school level presents a unique opportunity, both beneficially and unfavorably. Nonetheless, there are many possibilities, and having many possibilities is always a pro.
I also asked Lumkes about the academic crossover benefits of participating in a sport during the academic year. She emphasized that classroom performance is benefited from playing on a sports team. Lumkes used the analogy of sports as a super food for memory, cognition, emotional, and social health, and more. Lumkes further presented more benefits of playing sports. “They are 15% more likely to go to college, if that’s their thing, even if they don’t play a sport in college. Many athletes have that extra drive and motivation and are goal-oriented throughout their lives. They are also big on giving back with volunteering. The networking within competitive and recreational sports between other students and adults creates opportunities that many non-athletes don’t experience,” she expressed. Lumkes’ final and arguably the most important message regarding this topic: “You don’t have to be a superstar or starter, just get involved!”
Finally, I asked Coach Lumkes about the future of the girls’ program. She was very excited about this program next year. Next year’s girls’ basketball team will be headlined by the leading rebounder in the Rock Valley, Janelle Damrow, who Lumkes described as “a fearless leader, setting the tone, and a threat at both ends of the floor,” as the only senior. Lumkes also mentioned that the six 10th graders will be upperclassmen next year. Lumkes remarked, “They do not like to lose, and they are willing to fight tooth and nail. They can shoot the rock, they are ball hounds, and I know we can hang with the best of the Rock Valley.”
We are lucky to have Coach Lumkes on our team!
- DDHS Girls Basketball: An Interview with Coach Lumkes
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