Basketball Years for
Lake View-Auburn Hawkette
GLORIA OLBERDING
1972-1978
7th Grade
About Me:
Gloria started her basketball career in the 4th grade. She attended Coach Bud McCrea’s mini basketball camp. Her older sister Sue was a freshman and started for Coach McCrea during the regular season. Not a big deal you say? Well it is, you see the Olberding girls went to a Catholic school all during elementary and middle school. There were never exposed to sports until Sue started high school. Sue was a forward and led the team to multiple victories and ended up going to state during her senior year. LVA lost out in the quarter finals.
Gloria’s next oldest sister Mary played mostly JV ball until her junior year when she made the varsity team as a guard. Mary suffered multiple knee injuries and never got the chance to show everyone just how good she really was because of the injuries. She went to state in her senior year in 1975, but was unable to attend due to a knee injury during the regional tournament.
Micki Olberding was a strong point forward for Coach McCrea. Her free throw ability was the key to the 1975 State Championship against Mediapolis 51-50 in double overtime. She came back in her senior year and was a key player in the forward court taking the team again to a championship title against Manilla 60-50. Micki was 1st Team All Conference, 1st Team All Northwest Iowa, 4th Team IDPA All State, Special Mention DM Register All State, and All State Tournament Team. I feel this is pretty impressive for a girl who never played sports until she was in Middle school.
Gloria was the fourth of five girls born to Eugene and Louise Olberding. She attended the Mini Basketball Game all three years for 4th, 5th and 6th graders that Coach McCrea sponsored. She started as a forward for her 7th grade Hawkette Team. She can remember her first game against Ar-We-Va they lost 10-14. However her 8th grade team went undefeated.
Her freshman year she and teammate JoAnn Tjaden took turns starting on the varsity squad, where JoAnn did most of the starting. Gloria played a few JV games during her freshman year. Gloria was all “Ms. Calm” on the court, nothing could rattle her. Gloria played in all FOUR of the State Tournament games that year. Her teammates gave her scrubbing pads at Christmas time to use on her elbows as her they were always bruised.
During her sophomore year, Coach McCrea switched her to the guard court playing point guard with an occasional post guard with teammate and All Tournament Team Kay Pick. At only 5’ 8” tall she had to play smart against the tall post forwards but she always held her own. LVA Hawkette’s went to State again and won their 2nd straight Championship title against Manilla. Again, Gloria played in all FOUR games.
Her junior year Gloria found herself more in the forward court but occasional was switched to the guard court. Man could this girl play ball. She took her team to State again this year with a strong showing in the forward court. They were defeated in the quarter finals against C.R. Kennedy 67-58 but came back to beat Belmond 61-50 to be Consolation Winners in State that year. Again Gloria played in all FOUR games.
Her senior year Gloria reminded me of a yo-yo. You never knew what court she was going to start in. Coach McCrea used her flexibility to play in either court to the best of his ability. Depending on whom they played depended on what court Gloria played. What other player in the history of girl’s basketball been that flexible and GOOD? Gloria led their team to State again and this year. They were defeated by Ankeny 69-78. Gloria remembers being told by the referees, during that final game of her career to stop drawing offensive fouls or the next one would be called against her. She couldn’t afford to do that, so she played smart and stayed in the game to do her best with both hands tied behind her back, per say. Again, Gloria played in all FOUR games.
Gloria may not have sent any personal records but she was a team player and played hard whenever she was in the game. If Coach McCrea asked her to do something she did it and did it to the best of her ability. She almost got a technical foul for switching courts to many times in her final game; she was that valuable to Coach McCrea.
A quote I recently received from Coach McCrea:
“She was a tremendous leader for us on and off the field. You could put her in charge of anything and know it would get done. Nothing would get by her, and she would never let you down. What a tremendous person she was, and is.”
Bud McCrea
To this day she still shows that ability to do her best, no matter what she does, she is a valuable asset to the Pond and Watergarden Industry.
