Basketball season in Indiana is finally over and the reflections upon the past seasons and the many valuable players that have contributed to the game this year have begun. However, one person has gone unsung and her impact on the Cascade girls basketball program, and it is time for some recognition. That woman is Darlene Rivera.
Rivera coaches seventh grade girls basketball at CMS; however, that has not been her sole contribution to the game and the Lady Cadets.
Before she began coaching the seventh grade girls in 2007, Rivera started the Cascade Girls Travel basketball program, which has now been around for 21 years. In addition to founding a program that aims to help 3rd through 6th graders with their basketball skills, Rivera is also on the Optimist board and helps run the recreational basketball program every year alongside Optimist mainstay, Jack Nichols.
The longtime coach is not just a part of young girls’ lives however, but also many young women as well, as she is in her 4th year of coaching an AAU 15U team for the Indiana Pride Club.
Through her many years of coaching and involvement within these various programs, Rivera has gained many accomplishments over the years, some of which include winning several Indy Hoops tournaments with her travel teams, winning the Run 4 the Roses tournament with her AAU 16U team, and developed players that would win a 2019 Hendricks County championship, the first since 1986.
It goes without saying that Rivera is no stranger to winning, but she also has made it clear that the wins aren’t what she chooses to impress upon. “I hope I am a positive, female role model for these young ladies,” said the local legend.
Despite the fact that Rivera came from a family that was highly involved in various sports growing up, her true love has always remained basketball, which is demonstrated through her continuing involvement in the Cascade basketball family. Through this love and devotion to a sport, she has also demonstrated many wonderful qualities to the many young women that have made their way through her programs.
They say it takes a village, and Mill Creek is certainly very fortunate to have someone like Rivera as part of the crew that is helping young athletes hone their skills and become good people.
