Allison Pohlman at Drake Diner
12/4/2024
Allison Pohlman is Suzie Glazer-Burt Women’s Basketball Coach at Drake. Around events celebrating the 50th anniversary of women’s basketball at Drake, we asked her to lunch, and she chose Drake Diner.
When Coach walked in, she was greeted by multiple staff on a first-name basis, or as Coach. The mother of triplet girls, Allison exudes a mama bear persona. If you can roll with that analogy, Drake Diner is the sleuth’s den guarded at its entrance by the statue of a Spike, like Cerberus patrolling the threshold of Hades.
“Our team loves this place. We consider it an extension of the campus and the locker room.”
Because I am primarily a food writer, and Coach grew up in Wellsburg, I asked her about the Town House Supper Club. That place in Wellsburg is a legend among Iowa writers and travelers looking for small-town authenticity. The Des Loines blog, my primary authority for tenderloin news, rated it a full 9 out of 10. The Iowa Pork Producers rated it the state’s best in 2006. Town House briefly sold its sandwiches out of the former Maid Rite on S.W. Ninth here.
“I have great memories of that place. Growing up, we didn’t go out much to eat, but we regularly went to Town House for carryout, particularly the broasted chicken. One neat thing about them — there is no upcharge if you want all breasts or all dark meat. On special occasions, we went there; then we got to devour the salad bar.”
Food is a big deal on road trips, particularly bus trips for basketball teams. Do the Lady Bulldogs have favorite road stop choices?
“We love Bandana’s. (A BBQ chain that covers Missouri and extends into Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Cedar Rapids. Jethro’s discourages them from coming to central Iowa.) They have so many choices of good barbecue. They can fill 14 completely different orders for sandwiches. They are all over The Valley (Missouri Valley Conference, in which Drake competes). Chicago and Nashville are special road trips. We love Stefani’s Bottega in Chicago; they have wonderful handmade pasta.”
Iowa Coach, and Pohlman’s friend, Jan Jensen broke into tears at Drake’s 50th reunion talking about Iowa’s special place in the women’s basketball landscape. Jensen reminded people that her grandmother was in the Iowa Girls Basketball Hall of Fame before most states even allowed girls to play basketball in high school.
“I love that Jan mentioned how proud she is to represent our state. I appreciate how proud she is to be an alum of Drake women’s basketball and the legacy she left here not only as a player but also as a coach.”
Coach played for Wellsburg, Ackley Geneva Wellsburg and University of Northern Iowa (UNI) as Allison Starr. She coached at UNI and Drake. What is it about Iowa that makes girls hoops so special here?
“I think that, growing up in Iowa, you learn more respect for participation in community. Iowans pitch in to help each other. That translates into well-rounded growth. Kids don’t tend to specialize in one thing so much here. They play multiple sports.
“We look for that in recruiting because it makes for better teamwork. If a star in one sport also knows how to be a role player in another, that’s a positive. It’s not just sports we look for but all activities — music, volunteering. (One of Coach’s daughters sang the national anthem at the sold-out Iowa game.) Kids who are active in multiple things know better how to adjust. Basketball demands adjustments.
“Other sports can open your eyes to things that translate to basketball. (Assistant Coach/Director of Basketball Analytics and Player Development) Becca Hittner taught me that soccer teaches something extra about spacing, and particularly passing angles, that applies to basketball.”
How does such well roundedness translate to college majors on Drake’s team?
“Our players lean heavily to the health sciences. We have two pharmacy majors, several in pre-med sciences, one in dental science, several in business including health science administrations. We have a journalism major and a sociology major. Drake really caters to helping you find and develop your personal interests.”
Is that part of the geist of Iowa?
“Continuity and connection are easier in Iowa. Tanya Warren (18 years UNI Coach and Iowa Hall of Famer from Lincoln) was my positions coach under Tony DiCecco, who came from Montezuma. I was here at Drake under Amy Stephens. I had a good relationship with Athletics Director Sandy Hatfield-Clubb and told her I wanted to stay when Jenny Baranczyk took over. That was because Jenny had real passion for the game.
“You want to play for other people, not places. This state lends itself to that kind of intimacy, because it’s been happening for generations.”
Against St. Louis, Drake had four players in double figures, and none of them were named (returning MVC Player of the Year) Katie Dinnebier. Ava Hawthorne had a career night —19 points sandwiched between a one-point and a two-point game. In the next home game, against Iowa, Katie scored 40 of 73 points and had assists on another 12. Why is Drake’s offense so unpredictable?
“Our system lends itself to that sort of ‘next up’ progression. We are looking to play up tempo in both full-court and half-court games. Faster pace means more is unpredictable. We are always looking for whoever is poised for a career night. Five players looking for the same things — always looking for layups and always looking for a wide open three-point shot.”
At the 50-year reunion, a tearing up Wanda Ford (who led the nation in both points and rebounds at Drake) said, “I am a very humble person. But here today, I feel like I am a special person. I love everyone here.” Her assistant coach, Bruce Mason, said that “to this day, Wanda sends me a card on Father’s Day.”
“Having Wanda Ford back was surreal. As she commented about how Drake made her feel, I felt a sense of pride in how this institution has shaped the experience of many women not only through sport but also how they are embraced by our community. We like to call ourselves a basketball family, but it gets emotional when we realize how much that is true.”
This writer was the radio voice of Drake women’s basketball when Ford played. After a subpar game during Christmas break, I asked coach Carole Baumgarten if Wanda was ill. “No, there was no band. Wanda feeds on the music.”
“Oh, I get that. The Bulldog Brass Band is a huge part of our home games. They really get into it.”
