It’s home cooking for Geier

After 23 seasons, Coach Lynn Geier is trading late-night film sessions and the squeak of sneakers on the basketball court for more time to really appreciate the greatest teammates she’s ever had.

Geier’s squads went 410-151, earning her the fifth-most wins by a female girls basketball coach in Wisconsin history, and 44th overall on the updated state list.

She battled through cancer seven years ago and a knee replacement two seasons back, forcing her to trust in and rely on others maybe a little more than she would have liked. Suddenly, doctors and other healthcare professionals took on starting roles, while assistant coaches, friends and family got extended minutes.

The cancer diagnosis, especially, shook her.

“One of the hardest parts was sitting down with my children and having to tell them their mother has cancer,” Geier said “They are my everything, and I knew how hard this was going to be on them to hear that. But I also knew as a family we could get through this.”

Geier has always been a family-first person, but after the diagnosis she said some of her priorities needed to be adjusted.

“I definitely wanted to stay in charge of the program as well as I could,” she said. “I just didn’t know what to expect within the cancer journey.”

Geier said she was blessed at the time to have had supporting staff like Teresa Bortolini and Katie Kinjerski to help run the program during a season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It gave me a purpose and something to keep me going, so I pushed myself to every practice and only missed one game because my white blood count was down and the doctor advised me to stay back that day,” Geier said. “I wanted to prevail through that year. (COVID) was another challenge for our coaching staff and players, but with their help we all got through it.”

Her husband Jeff (“The Fonz”) has played a key role all these years.

“He was a rock during this journey, always there to listen but not judge and always at the games — when there was no dartball, of course,” Geier said. “He took care of the household so I could put my time and energy into the program. It meant a lot to me that he made this so much easier by his support in so many ways. I would not have been able to do this without him, and the support of my two daughters as well.”

Those two, Nicole and Brooke, were key players on some of Kewaunee’s best teams. Both also coached with their mom.

“Coaching my daughters was a lot tougher than coaching with my daughters,” Geier said. “Having to be a parent-coach is tough because you need to really focus on being the coach on the floor, not taking it home to damage your mother-daughter relationship. Coaches’ daughters have the pressure of always trying to prove themselves and justify their playing time to others, and as their parent/coach we are always tougher on them because of this.”

She said coaching with her girls was a great experience, adding that they always had valuable advice to add.

“I always loved having young assistant coaches that have come through my program to help relate to and motivate our players,” Geier said.

Geier said one of the biggest changes from her time as a player is how many extra-curricular activities are available. She believes the pressure to specialize nowadays comes from “trying to keep up with the Joneses,” and believes burnout is happening to some athletes who are pushed into year-round programs.

“Multiple sports train kids in different ways,” Geier said. “It also gives them the chance to be coached by different mentors, and create multiple friendships as well. It takes the pressures off of having to do the same thing over and over, which I feel is mentally healthier.”

She isn’t a big fan of open gyms for other sports during “our season,” saying it puts pressure on in-season athletes who think they might be missing out. Or, they double up and try to do both, which can either cause burnout or take away the dedication to and focus on the in-season sport. That can hurt the program, she said.

Geier’s also seen the pride of participating in a sport in any capacity — especially the role player — decline.

“Parents should be telling their role-playing daughters or sons how proud they are of them, and what a great job they did supporting their teammates and pushing them in practice all week long to prepare them,” Geier said. “Tell them, ‘You should be so proud of yourself for playing such a big role in your team’s success.’”

Geier said she has dealt with a lot when it comes to players, parents and fans, and hopes to write a book some day with that being one of the focus chapters.
She’s always believed that defense, taking care of the boards and executing/taking care of the ball on offense were the foundations of success on the court.

“Expect hard things,” Geier said. “Basketball is a hard game, and things don’t get easier off the court. You just need to train your players to handle hard better.”

One lesson she learned from her players is that they are all unique and have different perspectives in life, and that a coach needs to channel into and respect that to help guide them — on and off the court.

“I hope that I taught them off-the-court lessons such as always striving to be your best, not someone else’s best,” Geier said. “Happiness comes when you can celebrate others’ success, which in turn allows your successes to shine. There is no place for jealousy in life. Make a difference to someone, anyone that looks like they are struggling. All it takes is a little smile, a good morning or hello to show them you care.”

Geier was asked if her wins were wiped out, but the life accomplishments of the women she helped train remained, would she still feel like the journey was worth it?

“Even with the time, dedication and sacrifices I made, the journey was definitely worth it,” she said.

She’s looking forward to getting back into some activities with friends like dartball, pickleball, golf and maybe a game board/card group day in winter, or a drive south for a winter break at some point.

As for spending more time in the kitchen — maybe even a weekly “Cooking with Coach” show on PBS? — Geier responded, “Per my marriage contract, my husband Jeff plays the cooking role. I don’t see this changing, unless it’s on my terms.”

Will the “Fonz” need a timeout, or at least a booth review? Stay tuned.