Cardinal graduates Kim Domen and Jen Fekete did not think they would be in the position they currently are in.
Game photos click here.
Cardinal graduates Kim Domen and Jen Fekete did not think they would be in the position they currently are in.
Domen, a graduate of 1994, and Fekete, a graduate of 2003, have taken over the middle school basketball program at Cardinal. Both women spent numerous hours in the gymnasium, but never would have predicted their alma mater may not be able to field a varsity team.
Domen, who spent numerous seasons as a varsity assistant, had to watch a number of girls lose out on a special season. That’s when she decided to apply for the eighth-grade coaching position.
Fekete would begin her third season this winter.
“Once we didn’t have a high school team, I saw this group (of eighth-graders) play the year before and I knew they had a ton of potential — and I love coaching, it’s a passion of mine,” said Domen when asked what her thought process was when applying.
On the other hand, Fekete talked about previous eighth grade coach Stan Barwidi, who inspired her to continue the trek of coaching young.
“I previously coached with Stan Barwidi,” Fekete said. “The man is a basketball genius. He has so much basketball knowledge, and I loved getting to learn from him. I am a middle school teacher and I love this age. They are still young enough to mold into good basketball players.”
Looking at the seventh grade team, Cardinal has a number of girls who have played the game of basketball two years or less. But it is a group eager to learn how to get better.
“When the sports are strong at the recreational and middle school level, it creates a level of community,” Fekete said. “Also (encourages them to be) active and healthy youth. With the decline of sports enrollment, it’s imperative that we team up with our youth teams and community to create a positive atmosphere around the sports team, which will cultivate successful and longstanding teams for the future.”
The Huskies were a powerhouse program in the early 1990s and 2000s. They finished in the top of the ESC four years in a row, including a first place seed in their district. The Huskies came up short in their run to a state title, but had the best finish in school history.
“In 1994, we had the best basketball team ever in Cardinal history under Denis Lory,” Domen said. “I could go on and on about my senior year. It was truly an amazing experience.”
Domen and Fekete both want to instill that same competitiveness, drive and love of the game in today’s young athletes.
“What I hope is that we establish fundamentals, good defense (any zone or man), and understand the differences and concepts of both. Help-side defense, this is huge in middle school,” Domen said. “What I also hope to accomplish is, basketball isn’t just about basketball; there are many things in life we can take from playing sports on and off the court. It’s about giving back, being role models for younger kids to look up to, learning that we have to work hard for what we want. It’s earned and not given, no one is entitled. It’s moving past our mistakes and not dwelling on them. It’s improvement, and it’s the little things you do that create big things.”
You can find Domen snapping a clipboard on the sideline and motivating her team through her loud voice. Fekete, on the other hand, shows her competitive side a bit differently.
“Coach Domen and I feed very well off each other,” Fekete said. “Kim brings a varsity level of experience to the table which is so helpful in intense game situations. She sees the court very well and is able to help instruct players mid-game, while I am coaching from the sideline. And while she is serious and has high expectations for the team, she and I are also all about creating a fun environment, bringing in drill and friendly competitions to keep it fun and engaging, as well as themed practices like craziest outfit or Valentine’s Day to keep the girls engaged in coming to practice. I only have three years of basketball coaching experience, and I am trying to soak in all of her basketball wisdom. She has been a fantastic mentor.”
While the seventh-grade team stands at a record of 4-9, Fekete said she saw her team’s turning point when they faced off against the Mustangs of Grand Valley.
“You could tell in their body language they were beginning to relax and understand the way plays work,” Fekete said. “Their defense has been a huge strength for them this season. I am very honored to get to coach them, and I am excited to watch them learn more and more about the game.”
Meanwhile the eighth-grade team is currently 8-3 overall, and 7-2 in their conference.
“We lost to Chagrin Falls earlier in the season, which is not a CVC game,” Domen said. “What I hope to accomplish for the season is win out the rest of the season and go into tournaments with fierce energy and enthusiasm, and buckle down and work hard to come out on top as winners in the tournament. More than that, my accomplishment for this season is to establish what I hope will be the base for years to come for the Cardinal girls basketball program to grow to its full potential, where we once again have three teams in high school.”
This pair of coaches is excited to see what the future could be for the Huskies in the next couple of years — a time when the two could feel pressure from not fielding a varsity team. They both look at it as a challenge.
“I wouldn’t say pressure, but it’s very upsetting and heartfelt that we didn’t have a high school program,” Domen said. “This middle school team (eighth-graders) will be the core group next year for high school, provided they all stick with it, which I’m pretty sure they will. But my main goal currently is to get the fundamentals down, make sure they 100 percent understand the concepts of the fundamentals.
“I also tremendously feel that middle school kids shouldn’t be so one-dimensional. What I mean by that is: middle school kids need to play multiple sports, not just one all year round.”
And next year, not only will the Huskies field a varsity team again, but the future looks bright for a lot of these young girls. A coaching staff that has built a very strong middle school team will look for those young girls’ leadership next year.
