For those of you who don't venture over to the Huskerland Prep page, Bob Jensen did a write up on Darcy Stracke (also an interview over there as well). She was just a little ahead of my time, but man her high school career was amazing. Any of you on here that were able to follow her high school and college career got any good memories to share?
There's never been another like her. Not around these parts.
Darcy Stracke played her high school basketball at Stuart and then Chambers, leaving behind a resume unmatched in Nebraska history. Numbers, there are so many numbers, but know this much right off the bat - she remains the all-time leading scorer in Nebraska high school basketball, her 2,752 four more points than boys all-time leader Bill Holliday; she won state all four years of her career; she was an all-stater all four years of her career.
And that doesn't even count her being all-state in volleyball, or her winning state track meet gold in the 800, 1600 and 3200 meters. Or her hall of fame college career at UN-Kearney, nor being named college all-America at both UNK and UN-Omaha.
I mean, really, there's never been another like her. And today she shares time with Huskerland Bob via video conference to discuss her growing up in small town Nebraska, here sensational career, and her life after sports, including her favorite position on the team: mom to three great kids, including Tuff D. Stracke, who is 11; Lemon Stracke, who is 6; and Rook E. Stracke, age three. And they are all little ballers.
Here they are, the basketball playing Strackes, including (clockwise from upper left) mother Darcy, Lemon (6), Tuff D. (11), and Rook E. (3).
"They sure do love the game. I am so fortunate because I get to coach Lemon and Tuff's basketball team Coaching them brings me pure joy and happiness. Their passion and drive for the game reminds me of me at their age," says Darcy. "They have basketball in their blood and they already spend countless hours in the gym trying to be their best. They always tease me saying they are going to be better then me someday. Their my little gym kids and I sure do love them."
Darcy also comes from a basketball family, a sporting family, that includes among others her sister Sandy, who is married to Stuart boys basketball coach John Miller, and brother Jerry, who is the head girls basketball coach at Guardian Angels Central Catholic. You will hear more about all of them in the video but remember John and Sandy coached Darcy in high school, helping John win over 700 career games with Sandy at his side.
"Playing for John was truly a blessing. I was so lucky not only to be coached by my brother and law but arguably one of the best coaches in boy’s and girl’s Nebraska high school history," says Darcy. "John and my sister Sandy made me a better basketball player every day and the memories that I created with the both of them in basketball and track will never be forgotten. I will be forever thankful!"
As for Jerry he has made his own mark on Nebraska high school girls basketball, winning over 500 career games and state titles in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2012 and 2017. But before all that he was, among other things, the best workout rebounder Darcy ever worked with. She told me so.
Here is our conversation with the great Darcy Stracke, who now lives in Billings, Montana: