Long Beach State University Athletics
Mohr Does it for the Love Her Profession
3/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | General
Former 49er Mohr Does it for Love of her Sport For a variety of reasons lousy pay, micro-managing bosses, dislike of cohorts, hatred of working conditions, scornful of the work itself total job contentment is an euphoric state reached by a fast diminishing group of fortunate individuals. If I had a dollar for every time I've heard people complain about what they do for a living, I'd be so wealthy that, well, I wouldn't be typing out these words on a computer so I can continue to make ends meet and would, instead, be doing what I savor most in life touring Europe and checking out the sights. Still, there are those hearty souls who have a passion for their labors, and I came across just such a person, the respected Cypress College women's basketball coach, Margaret Mohr, the other day during an interview about her team that has qualified to participate in the state tournament this weekend at the Jenny Craig Arena at the University of San Diego. "I absolutely love my job everything about it," says Mohr, who, obviously, is pretty good at it as she has guided the Lady Chargers to 25 victories the most in the school's history against only five losses even though for a good portion of the season she's had only eight players at her disposal. And Margaret Mohr, a fixture on the local women's basketball scene going back to the mid 1980s when she was a spry point guard on Joan Bonvicini's powerful Long Beach State teams, has shown these aren't words calculated to make a positive impression on listeners. She already has backed them up with actions. When Long Beach State athletic director Bill Shumard was searching to find a successor to the ousted Dallas Bolla two years ago, he viewed Mohr, who had been an assistant for three seasons under Glenn McDonald when he coached the 49er women, as a serious candidate. But when Shumard contacted Mohr, she informed him she wasn't interested and that she was quite satisfied at her current place of employment where she has been for the past seven seasons. Mohr insists she has no regrets about not pursuing the 49er opening and thinks Shumard wound up making a superior hire in Mary Hegarty, but one still idly wonders why a person would prefer remaining at the community college level instead of being enticed by a possible Division I offer. "First off, I love being both a coach and an educator," explains Mohr. "And this I'm able to do both at Cypress. I teach a class in sports sociology, and we discuss everything from BALCO and steroids to the new NCAA academic standards. I also teach a class in step aerobics, which means I get paid to do something I would do even if I weren't teaching the class. "Earlier in my career, I was interested in coaching at a four-year school, but that has changed as I've gotten older. I feel a greater need for balance in my life now. I like to travel. I'm visiting China at the end of May. I like to do different things. "By nature, I'm a workaholic, and I know coaching at a four-year school would totally consume me. I know I'd feel guilty if I weren't out recruiting all the time, or doing something to help the program. I like my situation at Cypress. It allows me to do all the things I love doing. And that might not be the case somewhere else." You can be sure that those in the athletic administration at Cypress are relieved that Margaret Mohr doesn't have a roving eye for higher profile positions, as she once again fielded a strong team that finished in a tie for second in the competitive Orange Empire Conference with an 11-3 record and that will open state tournament play Friday at l p.m. against San Joaquin Delta. And she has done it with a roster that has been seriously depleted since the start of the season by injuries, dismissals and voluntary departures. "Obviously, we're not a deep team, but the eight players we have left all have made vital contributions," she says. She's proud of their work, and, naturally, has kind things to say about each one: Brittany Imaku, 5-3 sophomore point guard from Artesia High: "Unbelievable fifth gear. One-woman press breaker. Excellent passer. Led conference in assists and second in the state in that category. Has signed with San Jose State." Mia Seagraves, 5-4 sophomore guard from Artesia High: "She's been our X factor. She can shoot and has been very steady." Paula Reed, 6-0 redshirt freshman center from Savannah High: "A great rebounder who's a force inside. She clogs the middle for us." Ruta Autele, 5-6 sophomore guard from Century High: "She's our best 3-point shooter. Makes big shots." Ana Fakatou, 5-10 freshman forward from Wilson High: "First team all-state performer and co-MVP of the conference. Is effective inside or out. Our most versatile player." Rosalyn Omoruyi, 5-11 sophomore from Poly High: "Our leading scorer and rebounder. Gives us 20 points and 10 boards a game and does it as a reserve. She seems to perform better coming off the bench." Brianna James, 5-9 freshman forward from Calvary Chapel: "Great leaper and strong rebounder." Niann Hill, 5-9 sophomore guard from Bellflower High: "Very unselfish player who helps in a variety of ways." It's doubtful any of Margaret Mohr's players in high school matched their coach's athletic versatility when she attended La Reina in Thousand Oaks, where she was a standout in four sports basketball, softball, volleyball and cross country and where her endeavors there and at Long Beach State recently earned her a spot in the Ventura Sports Hall of Fame. "Always had an inclination for sports," says Mohr, who grew up in a family of eight children five girls and three boys and remembers as a youth playing baseball and basketball with friends and family members many a day until darkness. She recalls with fondness her career at Long Beach State, especially her final season on that 1986-87 team with All-Americans Cindy Brown and Penny Toler that went 33-3 and made it to the Final Four. And she enjoyed playing for Joan Bonvicini, who encouraged her to pursue coaching and hired her as a student assistant. But she says the best coach she ever had was Cathy Simbeck, which just might be a slightly biased familial assessment, since her name was Cathy Mohr when she coached at La Reina and since she happens to be Margaret's older sister. "Cathy taught me everything I learned about the game, and showed me how to channel my energies in a positive manner," says Mohr, who had two head coaching tours at Wilson High before succeeding Kevin Kiernan at Cypress in 1999. "Joan is a terrific coach, but it was my sister who taught me the emotional part of the game and also the fundamentals." The Mohrs remain a close-knit family, and Margaret Mohr speaks passionately about her late father, Larry Mohr, a Marine during World War II who fought in Saipan and an engineer who worked in the aerospace industry after graduating from USC, and her mother Dolores. "They had such an impact on all of our lives," she says. "Seven members of the family have college degrees and six have their Master's degrees. This I credit to my parents, and the way they emphasized the importance of education to all of us." Margaret Mohr long has been devoted to physical fitness, and the goal she set for herself when she recently turned 40 was to break six minutes in the mile before her next birthday. "I'm at 6:13 at the moment," says Mohr, whose best was 5:30 when she was a cross country participant. "It's going to be a battle, but I'll get there." Considering Margaret Mohr's many past accomplishments, the prediction here and it's not exactly a bold one is that she will in the upcoming months. — The McDonnell-Douglas Show, featuring Press-Telegram columnist Doug Krikorian and radio personality Joe McDonnell, can be heard Monday through Friday between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on ESPN radio, KSPN 710 AM. |
|
|
Copyrighted by Long Beach State and www.longbeachstate.com. All rights reserved worldwide.
No portion of this site may be reproduced or duplicated without the express written Please contact the webmaster should you find an error or out of date link.
