High school girls basketball: Kailey Minch hits 1,000-point mark much like mother Theresa (Ersek) did at Perry
Dec. 24—As she watched her daughter, Kailey, climb the bleachers at Euclid High School with a basketball in her hands, Theresa Minch couldn't help but to have visions of 1994 flash back into her mind.
Specifically, Jan. 29, 1994.
On that day, Minch — then Theresa Ersek — climbed bleachers to present a basketball to her father, Joe, after she scored her 1,000th career point against Kirtland. And here, nearly 28 years later, she was watching her daughter approach her with the ball used to score HER 1,000 career point as a North Ranger.
"It's amazing how things have come full circle like this," the proud momma said.
But the "history repeating itself" thing has more layers to it than mother and daughter scoring their 1,000th point and presenting the game ball to a proud parent before resuming with the game. The blending of those two generations coincides with two other generations.
Theresa (Ersek) Minch scored her 1,000th point playing for Coach Ray Force's Perry Pirates. Her daughter scored her 1,000th point playing for the North Rangers, coached by Ray Force's son Paul.
"That's pretty cool," Kailey said with a smile. "You don't hear of that happening anywhere else."
"Rare, that's for sure," Paul Force said.
Kailey scored her 1,000th point by swishing a 3-pointer from the right wing as part of the Rangers' 58-28 road victory over the Panthers. Her mother did so as part of a 26-point effort in which Kirtland played a triangle-and-two on the Pirates — with two Hornets defenders hawking Theresa all over the court.
"Both," Ray Force said, "are special players."
Heading into the Christmas holiday weekend, she has 1,066 points and is well on her way to eclipsing the family record of 1,119 points her mother — known as "Tree" back in her Perry days — accumulated during her career.
"Kailey is quicker," Ray Force noted, comparing the mother-daughter combo, "but Tree was SO explosive."
As Ray and Theresa stood together outside North's gymnasium last week, stories rolled off their tongues as if they happened last week. Theresa noted how she went to Garfield Park in Mentor to play "basketball with the guys," which "toughened her up" when she played with the girls at season's start.
"One time I was going for a layup and eased up," she said. "Mel Levett came out of nowhere and pinned it off the backboard. Trust me, there was no love loss or let-up out there because I was a girl."
Said Ray Force, "There was another game when Tree's legs were taken out on the opening drive of the game and she broke her wrist. She finished the game and made 25 of 26 free throws left-handed."
Kailey pushes herself in the same manner. The competitive nature is spot-on identical, even if their games are a little different.
If there is a weakness in her game — good luck finding one — she closes it quickly.
Belly-up on Kailey and she'll drive past you, Paul Force said. Back off of her and the 3-pointers will rain in from the heavens. Double-team her and she's keen enough to know where the help came from and get the abandoned teammate the ball.
"I often hear how similar we are," Kailey said. "Her friends on Facebook comment about it and the similarities between us."
Paul Force has had a front-row seat to watch both mother and daughter, both as a fan for his dad's Perry Pirates and as coach of Kailey's Rangers.
"Tree was more of a slasher type," the North coach said. "Kailey is certainly a better outside shooter. Their tenacity and love for the game is evident."
Kailey laughed when asked if her mom has pulled out VHS tapes of her games, noting, "no, but I've seen some of her film from when she played at West Liberty" for college basketball.
Similarly to her mother, Kailey is also headed to play NCAA Division II college basketball, not at her mom's alma mater in West Virginia — which was in the running — but for Ursuline College.
Of course, the question begs — who is better? Can mom still show daughter who's boss?
"Oh, absolutely," Theresa said, prompting a head shake and a quick, "No... No...." from her daugher.
Said Kailey, divulging her game plan, "For a long time, she would just post me up and score. Then I figured out I just have to wear her out. But if she's posting me up, it's tough."
All joking aside, the mother-daughter bond has been special to both the Minch family and Force family. Having both Kailey and her score 1,000 career points and do so being coached by the father-son duo of Ray and Paul Force is a rarity all involved cherish.
"When I got my 1,000th, Ray called timeout and I gave my ball to my dad," Theresa said. "When Kailey got hers, Paul called timeout and she gave the ball to me. It's kind of cool how it's gone full circle like that."
