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 Mark French’s life at UCSB has entered its third phase. In the first,
he was a student and athlete (baseball and basketball), graduating in 1973. In
the second, he was head coach of the Gaucho women’s basketball team from
the 1987-88 through the 2007-08 season. In May, he retired from coaching but
not from the university. He recently began working for the Alumni Association
as director of scholarships and outreach.
As basketball coach, French made a huge impact on the university and the community.
He took over a downtrodden team and elevated it to national prominence. UCSB’s
record in his 21 seasons was 438 wins and 200 losses. At the annual team banquet,
he would list his top 10 experiences of the just completed season. Asked to list
a top 10 for his entire career, French came up with 21 great moments, and who
are we to dismiss any of them?
Here they are, in descending order.
1. The 1996 Women’s NIT at Amarillo, Texas: The invitation
to the WNIT was a letdown for the Gaucho women after they were upset in the Big
West Tournament and snubbed by the NCAA selection committee. Then a tragedy put
their situation into perspective: Jeff Rio, the boyfriend of junior guard Erin
Alexander, was killed in a car accident. French’s team bonded together
and won two of three games in Amarillo. “I’ll always remember sitting
in the back of the locker room,” French said. “They were all crying
and hugging each other. I felt the power of intercollegiate athletics. It was
a goosebumpy feeling.”
2. The retirement reunion in June 2008: French expected to
spend a Friday evening with a few members of the Fast Breakers (the team’s
booster club) at a home in Montecito. Upon his arrival, he was surprised by two-dozen
former players and coaches representing every team of the last 18 years. The
reunion lasted the entire weekend.
3. UCSB’s first Big West victory over Long Beach State in 1992: There
was a gulf between the teams when French started coaching the Gauchos – Long
Beach beat them 105-25 in 1987 – and when his team topped the 49ers by
an 84-77 score on the road, it was the springboard to their first of 12 conference
championships.
4. Hugging April McDivitt after she fouled out of the Sweet 16 game
against Connecticut in 2004: McDivitt transferred from Tennessee so
she could be coached by French, whom she called “Big Daddy.” In the
final game of her college career, her scoring (20 points) and assists kept the
Gauchos close. She gave French a tearful hug as she left the floor in the final
minute, and UConn held on to win 63-55. McDivitt stayed at UCSB as an assistant
coach.
5. Finishing with four players against Stanford in the 1992 NCAA tournament: You
would not have known from the final score – Stanford 82, UCSB 73 – that
the Gauchos had to play one player down in the final minutes after the officials
fouled out half their roster in Palo Alto. Stanford won the national championship.
6. The triple overtime game at Louisiana State in 2003: LSU
was ranked No. 4 in the nation when UCSB visited on a muggy afternoon in February.
The Tigers led all the way until the Gauchos tied it at the final buzzer, and
it took 15 more minutes of drama before the home team prevailed 94-90 in the
most exciting game of the women’s college season.
7. Walking with my daughter Tracy to the media room after the 2004
NCAA playoff victory over Houston: It was a poignant experience for
French to have his 14-year-old daughter at his side after the triumph that sent
the Gauchos into the Sweet 16. He was dripping wet after the players doused him
with water.
8. The taxi ride to the hotel with Paula Rudolph after the overtime
victory over Nevada at the 1998 Big West Tournament: Another emotionally
satisfying moment — UCSB had staged a wild comeback from a 17-point deficit
to win the semifinal game in Reno. As French and Rudolph, his significant other,
were driven away from the arena, all was quiet and peaceful, with a fresh blanket
of snow on the ground.
9. The team hug after winning the 1998 Big West Tournament championship: This
endearing team was composed mostly of freshmen and sophomores (Erin Buescher,
Stacy Clinesmith et al) who would win 83 games over a three-year span.
10. Cori Close’s shot versus Hawaii and the mustache shave at
the 1993 Big West Tournament: UCSB upset top-seeded Hawaii 80-77 after
Close made a clutch 3-pointer. French fulfilled a promise by putting a razor
to his mustache immediately after the game.
11. Phil Womble presenting me with the Never Give Up Award in 2004: Gaucho
superfan Womble surprised French by presenting him with the award usually given
to the most inspiring player on the team.
12. Melissa Corpus’s mother speaking at Senior Night in 1999: She
gave a heartfelt speech about how much the Gaucho basketball experience had meant
to her daughter, a walk-on player.
13. 50th birthday activities at the Stockton Hilton in 2000: Here
were the presents that awaited French when he and Rudolph returned to their room
after a victory over Pacific on his birthday: “The light bulbs were unscrewed,
there was shaving cream on the phone, and there was Saran wrap on the toilet
seat . . . We got everything taken care of and went to get in the bed. It was
short-sheeted.”
14. The first diversity training session in 2001: “I
was worried when we started this program,” French said, “but after
a two-hour session talking about some really tough issues like black-white relationships,
you could tell it was really going well. Over the next eight years we went from
a very white, very Christian team to a team that really embraced diversity. It’s
one of the things I’m most proud of when it comes to developing ‘habits
of excellence’ in our program.”
15. Brandy Richardson’s play in the 2005 Big West Tournament
after injuring her ankle: Richardson, a three-time Hawaii player of
the year, ended her college career in “a heroic effort.”
16. Tony Newnan’s swim and poetry reading in 1995: French
and the Gauchos were with some visiting recruits early one morning on Campus
Point when Newnan, an assistant coach, swam toward shore “like Triton,
the god of the sea,” climbed up the cliff, removed a scroll from a capsule
around his neck and read “What is a Gaucho?” – a poem extolling
the UCSB athlete. “After that, there was no doubt in my mind we were going
to sign those kids,” French said.
17. Frankie’s shot against Louisiana Tech at the 2002 NCAA tournament: Jess “Frankie” Hansen
nailed a jumper with less than two seconds remaining to stun the favored Ragin’ Cajuns
57-56 at Austin, Texas.
18. The win at Cal Poly after “losing the locker room” in
2008: Unhappy with the Gauchos’ effort midway through last season,
French denied them access to their locker room and their practice uniforms. “It
was a risky move,” he said, but the team took the lesson to heart and played
hard the rest of the season.
19. Handing out donuts to fans lined up to buy tickets in 2000: When
UCSB was selected to host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, people
camped overnight outside the ticket booth at Harder Stadium. The Gaucho women
provided them with some sustenance. All 5,800 tickets were sold.
20. “Crash” musical performance for Kristen Mann in 2000: Mann,
a very high-profile recruit, was a fan of the Dave Matthews Band. To impress
her, French performed the band’s classic song. “Every time I said ‘crash,’ I
fell down,” he said. “Soon thereafter Kristen committed.”
21. Classy team behavior after losing the Big West Tournament championship
in 2006: UC Riverside ended UCSB’s streak of nine consecutive
championships. “The kids were hurting big time,” French said, “but
they stayed out on the court for the trophy presentation. They were so good,
so respectful. That’s what sports should be all about.”
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