Oak Park girls’ basketball coach hospitialized

He might be back in time for playoffs




Lindsay Strothers, head coach of Oak Park girls’ basketball, was hospitalized over the weekend and wasn’t expected back for Tuesday’s home game vs. Carpinteria. The game was Seniors’ Night for the Eagles. Oak Park won a California Interscholastic Federation championship with Strothers two years ago.


John Medders, a physician and the father of Oak Park standout guard Lyndsey Medders, spoke with The Acorn briefly about Strothers, saying he expects Strothers back in time for the playoffs which begin next Wednesday, the first game of which should be a home game for Oak Park.


"He was admitted to the hospital yesterday morning," Medders said Monday. "And he’s undergoing a series of diagnostic tests and therapies. He’d been admitted with some pain and at this point he’s stable. He is slightly improved from yesterday."


It was uncertain whether Strothers would be at the regular season finale at Fillmore today.


This is the latest in a dramatic season for the Oak Park girls’ team, a season in which Lyndsey Medders was injured early on, then later was ruled ineligible to play, after which she was reinstated.

After Lyndsey Medders return last week, in a game vs. Bishop Diego, which the Eagles won 73-49, Strothers talked about having his premier player back and the effort his entire team had made in her absence.


"It feels great. I’m elated," Strothers said about having Medders back. "It adds a whole dimension to the team and it makes everyone else look better."


The coach also praised his team for its work before Medders got back.


"Playing without her, people had to step up," Strothers said. "In the first two league games Shir (Raanan) stepped up with 31 and 33 points and then Jamie (Rauchwarger) stepped up with a couple of big games. And then Summer (Barry) stepped up with 20 rebounds."


Strothers said Alex Howard and Emily Medders also elevated their games and added that the team was prepared for Lyndsey Medders’ style of play when she returned.


"She can penetrate, and the passes she throws, the girls are now ready for them," he said. "In the beginning of the year, it was going through their hands. Now they’re catching them and finishing. And then with her three-point shot, you have to go out and guard her. And she’s smart about what she does on the court."


––Wayne Harrison



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