Somers is now in season

Former Eagle sharpshooter now leads Oak Park girls’ basketball team



Erin Somers

Erin Somers

Erin Somers should bring her ID to games.

A photographer mistook Somers for a player during team picture day. She had to convince him she was head coach of the Oak Park High junior varsity girls’ basketball team during the 2010-11 season.

“The running joke is that I look like I’m 18,” Somers said.

Somers, 25, still looks like the sharpshooting guard who donned Oak Park gold in 2008, but now she’s the one in charge.

Somers is the Eagles’ firstyear varsity head coach. After two rounds of interviews, she was hired at the end of April. She orchestrated her first practice less than a month ago, on June 15.

“It’s been a very exciting couple of months,” Somers said.

The coach stresses hard work and fun.

“We want to build a good program that girls want to come to,” she said. “We want to make sure everyone has a positive experience.”

The 2008 Oak Park graduate won’t be alone on the sidelines. She’s got a strong support staff.

Former teammate Lauren Varney is an assistant. Varney, one of the best players in Eagles’ history, starred at forward for San Francisco State before graduating last year.

“I like being back home,” Varney said. “It’s fun (coaching) with your friend.”

Somers, a Thousand Oaks resident, has the backing of former Oak Park head coach Kenny Golub, who groomed Somers for the job.

Somers started coaching as a volunteer at 20 and was the junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant during the Golub era at Oak Park.

Golub stepped down after the 2013-14 season, his fourth as head coach and fifth overall at the school.

Golub was a part-time assistant at Moorpark High when players, parents and administrators begged him to return as Oak Park’s interim coach in December 2014 to replace Kim Farrell, who got the ax after a horrid 2-12 start. Golub resuscitated the Eagles, who won nine of their last 14 games, took second place in the Coastal Canyon League and qualified for the CIF-Southern Section playoffs.

The veteran coach happily passed the proverbial torch to Somers.

“Erin identifies with the girls completely. They respect her,” Golub said. “She knows the game, and she’s incredibly good at striking a balance between competitive play and having fun. . . .

“It wasn’t easy for me to leave. I’ll miss it. It’s time for a younger generation of coaches to take over—and Erin is one of the good ones.”

Golub said Somers was an industrious, sharp and invaluable assistant who helped run practices, design game plans and scout opponents.

“She was the one during games who was closer to the girls and more engaged with them from the minute we walked in the gym,” Golub said. “I was the one watching our opponent like a chess player figuring out how to counter what was being done to us, but Erin was the one who interacted with the players. She got very close with them.”

Somers, who graduated with a degree in psychology from UC Santa Cruz in 2013, wants to be a primary education teacher in Oak Park Unified School District. She was an instructional assistant at Red Oak Elementary School last year, and she’s earning her teaching credentials from Cal Lutheran University.

Somers and Varney stress the fundamentals.

Players spend time working on dribbling, shooting and passing at every practice. Somers works with the guards while Varney spends time with post players during position drills. Nina Winsick, another former Eagle, will assist, while Dave Bartholomew returns as the junior varsity coach.

Varney, who is also a personal trainer, has added weightlifting sessions to the Eagles’ offseason workouts.

Oak Park will continue to run its frenetic fastbreak offense and pressure defense.

“We’re very little. Our big thing is our speed,” Somers said. “We have some good shooters. We’ll have to drive and kick and do some dribble-drive penetration.”

Several Eagles said they are happy with Somers on the sideline.

“I like her energy,” incoming senior guard Clara Matsumoto said. “She pushes us to our limits. We’re getting better at basketball. We’re all playing for the school and for each other.”

Hannah Hinds, an incoming senior post and wing, said Somers relates to her players.

“She’s young and fun-loving, and she’s really supportive,” Hinds said. “She knows what’s best for the team, and she’s good at communicating. I think a lot of the girls really like her. She wants to see the program become the best it can be.”

There are five incoming freshmen and 24 players in the program. Unless more freshmen show up to practice when school starts on Aug. 11, Oak Park will field only junior varsity and varsity teams this winter.

Somers, who grew up in Oak Park, lived in the Chicago area from seventh grade until her sophomore year of high school.

She broke her wrist during her junior year with the Eagles and missed half the season.

She returned with a fury during a strong senior season, leading the Eagles with 57 made 3-pointers and 27 steals while scoring 8.7 points per game.

The daughter of John and Jill, Somers has a 24-year-old brother, J.D., who played volleyball for the Eagles. John Somers, who grew up playing basketball, baseball and soccer in New Hampshire, is active in the Agoura Youth Basketball Association. He also assisted Golub at Oak Park. Jill Somers was a cheerleader and softball player at Trinity High in New Hampshire.

Erin Somers is the bridge between Oak Park’s past and future.

“We’re making our own path,” she said.


 

 

JAMMING—Oak Park High girls’ basketball head coach Erin Somers, left, and guard Yasmine Topacio watch the action at a recent practice.

JAMMING—Oak Park High girls’ basketball head coach Erin Somers, left, and guard Yasmine Topacio watch the action at a recent practice.

A NEW PERSPECTIVE—Erin Somers, the Eagles’ first-year girls’ basketball head coach, watches practice. Somers graduated from Oak Park High in 2008. The Oak Park native wants to teach full-time in the district.

A NEW PERSPECTIVE—Erin Somers, the Eagles’ first-year girls’ basketball head coach, watches practice. Somers graduated from Oak Park High in 2008. The Oak Park native wants to teach full-time in the district.

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