Driscoll's girls basketball state championship in limbo

Driscoll's girls basketball state championship trophy sits untouched in the high school's main office.

Its future, and that of the girls who made the achievement possible, is in a state of limbo.

"It's never going to be on display for kids at the school to see," Driscoll coach Steve McCuiston said, "and that stinks."

McCuiston, in Phoenix on business Thursday when the news that Driscoll was closing its doors broke, had the same reaction as everyone else at school: shock. He longed to be back with friends in Addison.

"My thoughts are with the kids. Forget about basketball," McCuiston said. "They've really enjoyed their time at Driscoll. It's sad for any kid to be forced out of their high school and have to start all over. They're being taken away from their family. They made a commitment to Driscoll, and the school did not honor that commitment."

Driscoll was to return six of its top seven players from the championship team next year. It's anyone's guess what uniform the girls wear next winter.

All-state junior Courtney Lindfors, who lives in Elk Grove, said that as of right now she plans to attend Elk Grove High School.

"I'm definitely in shock," Lindfors said. "We're all getting split up and we may never see each other again. It's really shocking and upsetting."

Frank Reaber, Driscoll's assistant basketball coach and varsity softball coach, has one daughter, Taylor, who would be a senior at Driscoll next year and another daughter, Kasey, an All-Area basketball player going into a junior year pivotal for college recruiting. A third daughter will be a high school freshman in the fall.

In the days leading up to the state tournament, McCuiston remarked that "nothing was guaranteed" and the girls "needed to take advantage of the opportunity in front of them."

"But the thought of the school closing never entered my mind," he said. "What's interesting is how much we appreciated our success. Now it's pulled out from under you."

Not being able to defend a state championship is one thing. Not having the opportunity to put on the Driscoll uniform is another thing.

McCuiston already had paid for the team's annual summer trip to Florida. Now what? The future is one big unknown.

"It will be difficult," McCuiston said, "and it will linger with us for quite some time. I'm sure we'll get over it. But we'll never get over it completely."