Decades after the girls’ basketball program at John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills cemented its place in school history by winning multiple league titles and city championships over nearly a decade, six former players got together to honor their former coach Craig Raub.
“I wanted him to get his flowers while he’s still here – to hear directly from the women he coached [about] how much he shaped our lives, not just as athletes, but as people,” said Lisa C. Williams, who played on the girls’ basketball team at Kennedy from 1980 until 1983. She helped to organize the surprise celebration for Raub and wanted to honor him because “coaches don’t always get to see what [becomes] of the young people they poured their lives into,” she said.
The players – Williams, Helen Burris, Shondra Dillard, Stacy Parson, Carla Reynolds and Nina Grooms – were waiting to surprise Raub and his wife Francine when the couple arrived at the Kennedy football field before last week’s homecoming game. Raub, who also coached football, thought he had been invited to be a guest coach for the game; instead, he was greeted by the group of female basketball players he had coached to multiple victories over four decades earlier.
Immediately after the joyful reunion, they gathered at nearby WellSpring Foursquare Church for a small catered reception and plenty of reminiscing surrounded by team memorabilia, including reprints of local and school sports news pages highlighting the team’s many achievements.
Raub, now 77, was at the helm of girls’ basketball at Kennedy from 1978 to 1987 – the program’s “Golden Era.”
He had a nine-year record of 176-22 – including a league winning streak of 90 consecutive games – and he led the team to nine league titles and three City Section 4-A Division championships. Raub stepped down as the basketball coach in 1987, but remained at Kennedy, where he later coached football and boys’ varsity tennis before retiring in 2013.
The players all praised their former coach for his inspiring, effective and steadfast leadership.
“He was a really good coach. He really pushed us hard with this determination,” recounted Burris, who said Raub motivated her to become a better player. “He had that fire in him, so he didn’t let up on us. He wasn’t easy on us. He pushed us as far as we could go.”
Christie “CJ” Jones, one of several former players who were unable to attend, sent a message about the lessons she learned under Raub’s coaching that have stayed with her over the years, including the “value of team unity, accomplishment and having fun along the way,” she wrote.
“[And] determination,” Jones added. “Coach [Raub] made us better together.”
Raub, in turn, described the basketball players he coached over nine years as focused and formidable athletes who were successful because they were willing to work hard and train year-round.
“You see how much hard work this [event] was to put this together? … This is how they were,” he said. “And they were all great students – they were all honor students. The rule was: your religion, your family and your schoolwork are way in front. Those are your top three [priorities].
“After that, basketball. … Nothing else is in there,” continued Raub with a smile, eliciting laughter from the players and their guests, and murmurings of agreement.
“The biggest joy I had as a coach was in their success, and they always made me so proud,” said Raub, boasting that all six of the players present attended college after graduating from Kennedy – they went to Stanford University, Pepperdine University, University of California, Santa Barbara, and University of California, Berkeley.
“For you guys to honor me like this, it’s just – wow,” he said. “I always said how lucky I was, and now I’m really thankful. You guys are the best. I don’t know how many coaches ever get to experience what I’m experiencing right now.”
Williams, who was the starting point guard and team captain, praised Raub for helping her earn a Division I basketball scholarship to UC Berkeley, and for having a positive influence on her life.
“What he gave me went far beyond basketball. He believed in me, trusted me to lead, and once told me, ‘You are the hub of the wheel, and all the spokes are connected to you,’” recalled Williams. “I’ve carried those words with me for more than 40 years.”
