Farley a standout for Wildcats in early 90s

Nearly three decades have passed since Gina Farley last hustled up and down the basketball floor for the Minster Wildcats, but the memories of playing on head coach Nann Stechschulte's squad still linger fresh. When Farley, formally Gina Huelsman, played her final game in February 1991, she graduated as the all-time leading rebounder in Wildcat history and was tied for the top spot on the program all-time scoring list as well.

"The memories from playing high school basketball and high school sports in general truly seem like yesterday," Farley said. "It's been quite a while, but there is really nothing like it. They are some of the best memories."

Farley suited up at the junior varsity level as a freshman during the 1988 season, before cracking into the varsity lineup the following year under Stechschulte, who was in her first season at the helm of the Wildcats.

"It was a little bit of an adjustment going from JV to varsity, but even more so playing for someone as intense as Nann," Farley said. "She was so passionate about the sport and I loved it. I remember one season when she was very, very pregnant and she was running up and down the court scrimmaging with us. At one point she was even boxing me out. I still have visions of that in my head!"

The Wildcats finished just 3-6 in the Midwest Athletic Conference during Farley's rookie campaign in 1989, but she is quick to acknowledge the valuable lessons she learned from the seniors that season, which helped propel her to success in her final two years.

"The older girls, like Leah Finnen and Leslie Moorman, were remarkable to share the floor with and they helped us to develop so much as players," Farley said. "As a kid, you grow up envisioning one day making the varsity team, and I was so excited for that to come true that season."

As a junior, the Wildcats moved up to fourth place in the league, their highest finish in a decade, and Farley finished the season with 348 rebounds and averaged nearly 14 points-per-game as she earned first team All-MAC honors and was voted as the team's most valuable player.

"I was happy for all that, but honestly the most coveted award I ever won was the 'Hungry Heart' award that coach Stechschulte passed out each season," said Farley, who is the head varsity volleyball coach at Fort Mill High School in South Carolina. "I have an award with the same title for one of my players each season and it signifies all of the important things that aren't measured by the scorebook: leadership, hustle and determination."

Farley followed up her junior season by earning first team All-MAC honors once again as well as the team's MVP, as she put the finishing touches on her standout career, where her 662 total rebounds are still the best in Wildcat history.

"I played a lot of games in my high school career against some outstanding opponents," Farley said. "I will never forget the final game of my career. We lost to Fort Recovery, who had Lynn Bihn on their team. She was going to Xavier to play basketball and I was going there for volleyball. We always had great battles in the paint. I was so upset to see my career come to a close. It was heartbreaking to know that I had played the final game of my life in a Minster uniform."

Farley, a three-sport star in high school, decided to pursue a volleyball career in college at Xavier University.

"I chose to play volleyball early in my senior year and I think that stopped me from getting much interest as far as basketball was concerned," Farley said. "I had seen a lot of other girls pursue basketball in college, but there weren't many who played volleyball, so it really gave me an opportunity to carve a path of my own."

Today, Farley coaches volleyball at one of the biggest schools in South Carolina where she instills many of the philosophies she learned while in Minster so many years ago.

"I'm not sure if coach Stechschulte realizes it or not, but she really had a tremendous impact on me as an athlete and as a person," Farley said. "There was no doubt at all that she truly believed in all of us as players and rewarded our hard work. I try to do the same, so I give her a lot of credit. I love coaching and it is certainly different being on that side of things, but nothing will compare to growing up in our area as a young girl and having the dream of one day playing on your high school court. Those are memories that I will never forget."