Cindy Anderson out as Wilsonville girls basketball coach

Published 12:00 am Thursday, April 16, 2015

After 18 years and two state championships, Cindy Anderson will no longer coach the Wilsonville High girls basketball team.

Anderson’s contract ended after last season, and the school has declined to renew it.

“I was surprised but nothing shocks me,” Anderson said. “I didn’t think things were that bad, but apparently they must have been.”

Dennis Burke, Wilsonville athletic director and assistant principal, declined to comment on the school’s reasoning for parting ways with Anderson.

“I met with Cindy, and we had a conversation that will stay between Cindy and myself,” Burke said.

Anderson, however, described the conversation.

“They said I was ineffective and lacked leadership,” she said. “It was a bummer.”

In Anderson’s third and fourth seasons as head coach, the Wildcats had a 45-10 record and won state titles in 2001 and 2002. The team missed the playoffs in 2003 and 2004 before reaching the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons, including a state championship game appearance in 2010.

In the last three seasons, the Wildcats were 31-40 and missed the playoffs each year.

“These last few seasons have reaffirmed my joy for coaching because I realized you don’t have to win to feel fulfilled,” Anderson said. “I can’t say there was a day where I didn’t look forward to going to the gym. Every year we had great kids.”

But while success on the court was fleeting, the team excelled in the classroom.

The girls’ 3.89 team GPA this season was higher than anyone else in Class 4A, 5A or 6A.

“We emphasized that all the time, but maybe we should have practiced longer,” Anderson said. “I wish that had been a point on my side.”

In a high school basketball world defined by specialization, college camps and Amateur Athletic Union tournaments, most recent Wilsonville basketball players have been well-rounded athletes rather than fulltime basketball players.

“I don’t want kids to just play basketball. My thoughts are a little unique in that way. That was indicative of why we got better as the season went on,” Anderson said. “Basketball was something that often defines who I am, but I didn’t want it to define them.”

Anderson played high school basketball at Lakeridge before playing for University of Oregon, and she has since coached in various capacities for 32 years. Remarkably, Anderson hasn’t had a winter break off since she was 14 years old.

“It’s been a very long time and having that time off is hard to ponder,” Anderson said.

Though she is still figuring out how she will fill up her free time in the summer and winter, she is excited to watch Oregon City graduate and niece Ashleigh Anderson play her senior season for Cal State East Bay next year.

Burke says anyone can apply for the coaching vacancy and that the school will put together a committee to decide between “hopefully, quality applicants.”

He also said he will receive input from Wilsonville student-athletes and the Wilsonville Basketball Association and hopes to find a new coach before summer.

“We want them to have time to organize and communicate with families,” he said. “That’s a key time for high school basketball players and will help the transition next November.”

Burke described Anderson’s coaching legacy.

“Her legacy is she is well-connected in the community, is viewed as an ambassador and did some great work here in the past,” he said. “I don’t know anything about those teams, but I’ve seen the trophies and know it’s there.”