Sara Goldie comes back
June 29, 2010
By Christopher Huber
When Sara Goldie stepped onto the Eastlake High School gym floor with athletic director Brent Kawaguchi in May, something felt different, she said.
The 1997 Eastlake grad had played dozens of games and countless practices on the hardwood as a varsity player. She was an assistant there in college and again for three years until 2009.
Sara Goldie
But this time was different, because she had just been hired as the new girls basketball coach.
“I said, ‘Wow, this is my program now,’” Goldie said.
Goldie replaces Scott Sartorius, who resigned to spend more time with his family. During his four years coaching the Eastlake varsity girls, the team went 59-37 and made the KingCo tournament each season. Goldie was assistant coach for the 2008-2009 team that made the state tournament.
“It’s the best thing that could happen for the Eastlake girls’ basketball program,” Sartorius said in an e-mail to the Review.
Sartorius and Kawaguchi both seemed to think the move is a win-win situation for the Wolves program. Not only does Goldie already know the Eastlake program, but also she brings a lifetime of playing and almost 12 years of coaching experience to the job.
“It’s a dream come true for me,” Goldie said. “This is where my heart is. I’m thrilled to be back in the gym where I got to play as player.”
In addition to her two stints assisting at Eastlake, Goldie worked with the Redmond and East Valley (Yakima) high school teams, and most recently at Evergreen Junior High.
“I was ready to be head coach,” she said.
As she teaches physical education at Inglewood Junior High School, Goldie knows and has worked with many of the incoming girls, she said.
“I couldn’t ask for a better position to be in,” she said.
Goldie is not only familiar with the players, but she also coached for three years with Pat Bangasser — the outgoing Eastlake boys basketball coach — while coaching the Redmond High girls. Working with Sartorius prepared her for a smooth transition.
“I’m really thankful for everything; all the experiences I got coaching for (Sartorius),” Goldie said. “It’s cool to have worked with him. I feel fortunate too to be able to pick up where he left off.”
Goldie and her family played a lot of basketball when she was growing up in California, she said. Both her parents had played for the Iranian national team and their skill and involvement naturally rubbed off on her as a youth. As female-only teams were scarce, she played for numerous co-ed teams and spent most weekends playing the game, she said.
“Basketball runs deep in my family,” Goldie said. “That’s just what we did.”
Those deep roots helped her develop a strong understanding and passion for the game, which she brings to the court every practice — the team started off-season practices and tournaments in early June.
“The No. 1 thing (I bring) is a passion for the game and passion for coaching young athletes,” she said.
Katy Ainslie, an incoming senior post who has worked with Goldie in the past, agrees and highlighted Goldie’s active communication during games and overall positive coaching style.
“She is so encouraging,” Ainslie said. “She definitely listens to what we have to say.”
When the team first started summer practices, Ainslie said Goldie introduced her philosophy and goals for the program, but then got right to work. The players liked it, she said. They also look forward to working with a woman, Ainslie said, because Goldie went to Eastlake and understands the life of a high school girl.
“She can relate to us so well,” Ainslie said. “She knows exactly the same stuff we’re going through.”
Along with the obvious goals of making it to the state tournament, Goldie said she hopes to build even more consistency between the JV and varsity squads and to start a C team at Eastlake.
When it comes to the varsity girls, things are shaping up well, she said. In a recent tournament in Oregon City, Ore., the varsity team placed second and JV placed fifth.
“I really want to play to our potential,” she said.
In the meantime, they’ve got about four months to tweak plays and develop team chemistry, something Ainslie said they have a lot of already.
“When you coach for so long, at some point you just want to be the one making the call,” Goldie said. “I’m ready to have a program of my own and really challenge myself and take that next step.”
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.
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