Coaching legend dies

By horace hinshaw

Pacifica Tribune

Pacifica lost a basketball legend last week with the passing of Jim Soden.

Soden, who died suddenly last Thursday at his home in Rohnert Park, left his mark on high school basketball, not only in our community, but also San Mateo County.

Joining the Terra Nova teaching staff in 1966, he would later put the spot light on Terra Nova by coaching his girls' basketball teams to 10 league championships, 12 CCS playoffs, with one Central Coast Section title (1979) and two appearances in the first round of the Northern California tournament.

Soden lived in Pacifica for over 30 years, retiring in 2004 from teaching and moving to the North Bay.

Soden was ahead of his time. An advocate of Title IX which mandated equal funding for girls athletics in the early 1970s, he wasn't shy about voicing his opinion on developing programs for girls.

"Without Title IX, we wouldn't have the athletic programs today for women. Women should have the same opportunity as men. That's the way it should be. That's the fair way," he said when he was inducted into the San Mateo County Sports Hall of Fame in June 2011.

"Title IX served a purpose. We were like pioneers. We had this opportunity for the athletes. We committed ourselves to it. That's why we were so successful," he said. "The students would spend their summer in the gyms. They would come to practice. They wanted to learn."

My memories of Soden are that he wanted his athletes to be successful. Over the span of his coaching career he won 494 games. In 1990 he was the first San Mateo County coach to win 300 basketball games. He'd tell me, "the kids did it all; I never made a shot, never got a rebound, those kids did it'. He felt that the athletes had to be committed. He also often praised his assistants.

Soden also gave the Pacifica Tribune credit in those formidable years of Title IX for publishing girls sports. He loved to see the girls names in the Tribune. With the Tribune sports deadline being on Saturday night, he would call me and highlight the weekly games for the following Wednesday's Tribune. Some night our talks would go for hours. He loved talking about his players.

He was inducted into the City of Pacifica Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the inaugural class in 1991.

He was very fond of the community. He called Terra Nova a community school which received very good support from the staff. He would say that Terra Nova athletics became successful because of the community; that parents really cared about their children and that the parents were really into the sports.

Funeral services will be held today at Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, 5475 Synder Lane, Rohnert Park at 5:30 p.m. with a dinner following the services. A memorial is being planned in Pacifica in December. Soden was 69 years old.

His death was a shock to us. Individuals whose lives were touched by him share their memories of the beloved coach.

"Jim was a great guy and a dedicated coach. He knew the game but more importantly he was a teacher and mentor to his players," said football coach Bob Guerrero. "The best coaches are good teachers and put forth that "father" figure that some players are in need of. He was all of that."

Gary Johnson, another former coach at Terra Nova, called Soden an excellent teacher, both in the classroom and the gym.

"His attention to detail and the motivation of his students/players allowed him to be successful. Always a lot of fun to be around, talking sports or district politics," said Johnson. "Lots of great memories at basketball clinics in Tahoe where the emphasis was on blackjack, buffets and basketball, not always in that order."

Terra Nova girl's basketball program took a big step in 1976 when a young girl from the state of Indiana transferred to the school. Becky Myers would become the school's first prolific scorer, averaging 22 points a game over her three-year varsity experience. For her accomplishments, including helping the team win the 1979 CCS title, her jersey was retired.

"I have nothing but good memories of Coach Soden," said Myers from her home in Illinois. "I was a small town Hoosier girl who came to California and this man changed my life. I lived and breathe basketball and so did he. I was so lucky to be a part of his legacy at Terra Nova. The wisdom, confidence and heart he shown while leading our team to greatness has been an inspiration on and off the court throughout my life. His influence on my life is immeasurable. He was a gentle giant."

"The most important thing he taught me is you win and lose as a team. I would have never had the success I did without Coach and my teammates," added Myers. "I think of them all often and miss them dearly. Coach leaving us leaves an empty place in my heart. But he will never be forgotten. I will carry a part of him with me forever."

Bill Lepeltak, who coached with and against Soden, spoke of his relationship with the man he called a pioneer in basketball. "Jim was my mentor, friend, a great basketball coach and teacher. I learned a lot of coaching things from him, but more importantly he taught me how to treat student athletes so that the best of their abilities could be brought out. Jim had an amazing way of getting his teams to maximize their abilities."

Two of the closest people to Soden on the basketball court were assistant coaches, Tonia Moe and Dorene (Lotti) Bausino. They both graduated from Terra Nova and returned to coach at the school.

"Jim was my mentor. He taught me a lot about basketball, but mostly about coaching in general. He was very patient and knowledgeable," said Bausino, who is in her second year as principal at Terra Nova. 'He truly enjoyed basketball and had a gift when it came to coaching girls. He spent many hours guiding students on and off the court. His passion for the game was contagious and led to an overwhelming successful program that I was extremely fortunately to be a part of as a player and as an assistant coach. He will be greatly missed but will always be remembered at Terra Nova High School."

Moe was an outstanding player on Soden's 1976 squad. Two years later she returned to join him on the bench and over the next 10 seasons assisted him with his many championship teams. She also coached the girl's frosh-soph team.

"I will always remember Jim Soden as my coach, my mentor and my very good friend. In the realm of Terra Nova basketball, I will remember Jim as the person who turned a mediocre girl's program into a dynasty, highly respected not only in the county, but also statewide."

"He had an amazing memory. He could tell you about every big play from every game, down to the finest detail. He could recount exactly who the opponent was, what quarter it was, how much time was left on the clock and who the playmakers were," added Moe. "Years later, he and I would sit next to each other at a CCS championship game. It was like the old days, us sitting together talking basketball, as if we hadn't skip a beat. There he shared with me accounts of some of our biggest game moments together; remembering every detail and describing things so vividly...it was as if it had happened just yesterday."

Moe, who later saw her son play for Soden as a member of Terra Nova's boys' team, credits Soden for her going into coaching, saying, "He was an inspiration to all, and has been a positive influence for so many players, students and colleagues over the years. I know this because since his untimely passing, I have heard from so many whose lives have been touched by Jim, as was mine. He will never be forgotten and will forever remain in my heart."

Jim Bresnahan coached boy's basketball at Terra Nova. Their friendship goes back almost 50 years when Bresnahan joined the school teaching staff in 1968.

"Jim was one of my closest friends and an excellent classroom teacher who also was a great basketball coach who I could always depend on for suggestions with my classes and my teams. Jim was chair of the Social Science department and was my mentor there," said Bresnahan, who became the boys' frosh-soph and varsity coach.

"Jim was one of the most successful coaches in Peninsula history. He and I attended conferences together and he always strove to improve his coaching," continued Bresnahan. "He constantly challenged his players to be better. Some of his success can be attributed to the time and energy he put into the program. He would open the gym during the summer so that the Pacifica girls would have a place to play almost year round.

Jim recognized the value of using the full court press at times and his teams did not play zone very often. This separated Jim from many of his colleagues and directly led to the first CCS championship in league history. "

"When our families were young we would have joint camping trips. Naturally we would often talk basketball around the campfire.," said Bresnahan. "As a friend, Jim was great to be around. I never heard him utter a harsh word about anyone and he always made a person feel better after spending time with him. He will be missed."

Rich Pucci was president of the Terra Nova Booster Club in 1990 when Soden won his 300th game, becoming the winningest basketball coach in San Mateo County. At this time Soden was the school's athletic director.

"Aside from his administrative duties as athletic director, his great love and passion was coaching girls basketball. His basketball program at Terra Nova was highly regarded throughout Northern California," said Pucci. "And his players... he never ever forgot them. I would listen for hours as he would re-cap games from years gone by telling stories of how his players battled and sometimes did the impossible, he loved them."

"The players' parents absolutely loved him. The parents recognized his coaching expertise, passion for the game and his dedication," added Pucci. "I remember him saying once after his team lost a close one, "we really didn't lose the game, we just ran out of time". He was a winner and we'll miss him."

Kari Trainor, who played four years under Soden, recalls some of his famous lines he would use during the games, "Okay girls, the third quarter is the most important quarter; offense sells the tickets but defense wins the game. And he would always say 'be alert' and we would say 'we need more lerts'."

Today, Trainor coaches youth club teams and still runs drills that Soden ran with her team in high school.

"He was truly dedicated to the sport listening to his cassette coaching tapes from college basketball coach Bobby Knight," said Trainor. He was a fundamentals coach and a strategist. He cared about the girls in his program. He gave me four championship years."