Immaculata
While Rush was at General Wayne Junior High, the coaching opportunity became available at Immaculata, an all-girls catholic school with an enrollment of 400 students. The job comes with some challenges—the gym has burned down, and there are no plans for replacement, so all games will be away games. The salary is $450 per year and the school owns a single basketball.Rush is only 22, barely older than the players she will be coaching. The five starting players are all commuters, driving to school for classes and practice. Yet Rush sees the positives, "It seemed like the perfect job – low key, no pressure, and a way to stay busy during the winter while my husband, Ed, was traveling." In addition to changes for Rush, the game was changing. The 1970-71 season was the first year of five player teams and the 30 second shot clock.
Practices were informal—Rush brought her two young boys, still toddlers, to practice. her husband Ed, jokes, "That's the Immaculata fastbreak: good defense, rebound, outlet pass, and then dodge the kids on the way up the court." Rush was pleasantly surprised at the skill level of her players, and told her husband, an NBA referee, that |I have some player". He condescendingly responded, "Oh, yes, dear. Of course you do." One of her strongest players was Theresa Shank (who would go on to a coaching career that earned her a spot in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame). Shank was a six foot center, who started the same year as Rush. The team started out with an 8–0 record. In their ninth game, Shank and Maureen Mooney didn't show up. They didn't have a charter bus, or even a school bus, so the players drove themselves to games. Shank and Mooney were car-pooling. When they didn't arrive for warm ups, Rush was initially angry, but as time passed, she became concerned. Just before the start of the game, the two arrived, announcing they had been in an auto accident. Mooney was shaken up, but Shank broke her collarbone. She was out for the season, and the team went 2–2 for their remaining four games.
Read more about this topic: Cathy Rush