A busy time for hoops family
By Frank Rajkowski
frajkowski@stcloudtimes.com
Her oldest daughter is getting ready for the sectional round of the NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament and her husband and remaining two daughters have been preparing for the Class 2A state tournament. But perhaps it is mother Lynette who has had the most stressful week in the Noreen family.
She's been trying to find a way to see it all.
"She's been chomping at the bit trying to figure out what to do," said Jon Noreen, the girls basketball coach at Albany High School whose Huskies (24-5) face Minnehaha Academy (24-2) in the Class 2A state quarterfinals at 11 a.m. today at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.
"She's been looking for plane tickets," he said. "Win or lose, I have to stay here. But she's trying to find a way to get to Virginia."
Ashland, Va. — located just outside of Richmond — is where Darby Noreen and her teammates on the College of St. Benedict basketball team (24-4) take on George Fox (Ore.) (21-5) in a sectional semifinal at 5 p.m. Friday (CST) at Randolph-Macon College. The Blazers departed for that game Wednesday afternoon, meaning Darby will not be able to see her father and two sisters go for a state title.
"It's sad that I have to miss it," said Darby, who is averaging 10.3 points per game for St. Benedict and has hit 37 3-pointers. "I'm really excited for them. I know they're going to have a great time. But we have business to take care of in Virginia."
Taking care of business on the basketball court is a Noreen family trait. Jon has led Albany to three straight state tournament berths.
Their oldest son, Jake, was a standout for the Huskies boys team, and played for a season at Minnesota-Crookston before a back injury forced him to give up the game.
Darby scored more than 2,000 points in her prep career and was named the 2003 Times All-Area player of the year before moving on to St. Benedict, where she earned a spot in the starting lineup this season as a sophomore.
Joanne, a senior, was named last season's Times All-Area player of the year and has also scored more than 2,000 points in her prep career.
Their son, Seth, is a sophomore standout at St. Cloud Apollo.
Their youngest daughter, Jennie, is a freshman point guard at Albany who scored 18 points and recorded 10 rebounds in the Huskies' 59-38 victory over Foley in the Section 6-2A championship game.
Even their youngest son, Zach, has gotten into the act. The seventh-grader's travel team is also involved in state tournament play this week, further complicating the family's schedule.
"It's a lot of work for my parents, but they try to make it to as many games as they can," Joanne Noreen said. "There are times my Mom leaves one game at halftime to dash over to another."
Growing up, all six Noreen siblings played against one another in the driveway at the family home in Avon.
"We were out there all day," recalls Darby Noreen, who is averaging more than 15 points per game and made nine 3-pointers in her team's last three postseason victories. "It was 3-on-3 — me, Joanne and Jennie against the boys. We wouldn't leave. My Mom would be calling us for dinner and we'd still be playing.
"The boys weren't 6-5 and 6-6 like they are now, so we held our own against them."
The driveway hoop has since been replaced with a half-court setup.
"That hoop has been backed into about 15 times, so last summer, we put in a half-court with a $2,000 basketball hoop," Jon Noreen said with a chuckle. "We're still paying it off. But the kids go out there and it's just beautiful. I figured they enjoy the sport so much, so why not?"
The Noreen children's passion for the game arose from watching their father.
"We'd always want to go to the high school after classes and practice with the big girls," said Joanne Noreen, who is averaging 20 points per game for the Huskies. "Darby and I would sit there for hours."
St. Benedict coach Mike Durbin said you can see her father's influence on Darby.
"She's definitely a coach's daughter," Durbin said. "That's an extraordinary benefit. She makes really smart decisions on the court.
"We knew when she walked in here that we were getting an outstanding player and a great person. She's been an incredible addition to our team."
Durbin undoubtedly would have liked to add Joanne as well. But she signed a letter of intent to play at Division II Minnesota State-Mankato next season — a move that will add a new geographic twist to her family's basketball viewing.
"I know they'll make it to as many of my games as they can," Joanne Noreen said. "And when they can't make it, I'll understand. My parents are really dedicated to trying to watch us all play."
And this week, the Noreens are playing in some very big games indeed.
"You have to look at our datebook sometime," said Jon Noreen, whose team finished fourth in the state in 2004 and third last season. "It's booked solid. But this is a really exciting time."
Printed from the St. Cloud Times web site
www.sctimes.com
© 2005-2006 St. Cloud Times. All Rights Reserved
Athletic Department
College of Saint Benedict
37 South College Avenue
St. Joseph, MN 56374
320-363-5301
Fax 320-363-6098