Oneida coach Marv West and his daughter Kendyl (24) look on during a 58-33 to Loretto in a TSSAA Class A state tournament quarterfinal at Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on Thursday, March 12, 2020. (Photo by Danny Parker)
By JESSE SMITHEY
MURFREESBORO — Marv West and his daughter Kendyl had a deal.
Marv, as head coach of the Oneida girls’ basketball program, would coach Kendyl during her high school career.
When the two walked off the court from practice or games, they were father and daughter.
No basketball talk. No team drama.
Coaching your kids is never easy, and Marv West simplified it the best way he knew how.
“Leave it on the court and don’t take it home with you,” he said. “We did do that. I told her that everything that goes on in the locker room stays there. Don’t bring stuff to me. I remember the locker room as a player. I hated my coach nine out of every 10 days. It might have been 10 out of 10 for her.
“We’ve had some rough days on the court. But she made me a better coach.”
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Though Oneida didn’t win a Class A state title this week at Middle Tennessee State’s Murphy Center, Marv West and Kendyl West got one last game together Thursday in their coach-player relationship at the Class A State Tournament.
Loretto eliminated the Lady Indians (29-7) for a second consecutive season, 58-33.
Kendyl West and fellow seniors Harley Boyatt, Jayden Thomas, Chloe Terry and Chelsea Newport all checked out of the game for one final time with 1 minute, 52 seconds, to go.
They cried. They hugged. Some wore towels to veil their emotions.
Oneida fans felt it, too. They knew those five seniors had played together since the age of 5.
But now, some 12 or 13 years later, they leave behind a legacy at Oneida that included 99 wins in their prep career along with three state sectional appearances and two Class A state tournament appearances.
As for Kendyl, she left the press room following the game 100 percent Marv’s daughter again.
“It’s been hard,” Kendyl said about playing for her father, while fighting to repress tears.
“But I wouldn’t want to play for anyone else.”
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Oneida knew what it was up against Thursday. Loretto beat them 59-40 in the 2019 state quarterfinals and had minimal turnover on their roster from that season to this one. The Lady Mustangs have seven players at 5-foot-10 or taller, a rarity in Class A girls basketball.
Their length causes issues for opponents’ offense — and that included Oneida’s.
The Lady Indians scored just three points in the game’s first five minutes and shot 32.5 percent from the floor for the game, making just 13 baskets.
For a brief spell, Oneida fought to cut Loretto’s lead to 31-25 on Thomas’ 3-pointer at the 6:48 mark in the second quarter.
But that was one of only two 3s Oneida made Thursday while missing 15 others. The wing spans of Loretto players practically forced Oneida players to shoot deep 3s from behind the men’s 3-point line at the Murphy Center.
Meanwhile, Loretto (30-3) shot 50 percent from the floor and out-rebounded Oneida, 36-18.
“We played (Class AAA) Bearden this year, and their length is phenomenal. We played (Class AAA) Stone Memorial this summer. We played (Class AAA) Maryville this summer. (Loretto) is right up there with all of them,” said Marv West. “I think they could compete in any class.”
After Oneida’s seniors left the court for good, Marv West continued coaching with the same focus and fervor with the younger members of the team.
The score didn’t matter. The future did.
And that future could be centered around freshman guard Kelsey Pike, who logged plenty of minutes alongside seniors this season and will carry on the standard of Oneida girls basketball.
What, specifically, is that?
”Always push ourselves to be the best,” Pike said, “and just play for each other.”