Inductees

For Diana Tingler, she considers herself one of the lucky ones in life. After all, you’ve probably heard the stories of trailblazers fighting the good fight to promote high school girls basketball back in the 1960s and 1970s.

Fortunately, her high school back home was already offering the sport when she arrived. And little did anyone know that it was grooming Tingler for a great career.

“If you went to a bigger school, you didn’t have any opportunities,” Tingler said. “You could either be a cheerleader or join the pep club.”

Tingler eventually made it cool to join the Smithville High School girls basketball program, which became among the most successful in the state as she led it for 28 years, and it’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct Tingler with the Class of 2017.

From 1977 to 2005, Tingler guided Smithville to a 457-282 record. Her 1984 and 1985 teams advanced to the Class 2 state tournament semifinals, placing fourth both years, while her teams overall won 10 district titles and six conference championships.

It was quite a turnaround for Smithville, which was only 4-25 in her first two seasons, including a one-win season in Year 2.

However, she soldiered on.

“I had some really good players – girls who were interested in the game,” Tingler said. “But we didn’t have a junior high program. We eventually started getting that going and, on Saturday mornings, we would bring the kids in. We just started from scratch, and the community was really supportive. And since I coached track, we had some carry-over (with athletes joining basketball teams).”

Working hard to get to the top was nothing new to Tingler. She had built her competitive nature on softball fields in the 1960s by joining a traveling team that played all over the Midwest, from the Dakotas to Texas.

“It was a real positive influence,” Tingler said.

Before graduating from Gilman City High School in 1970, she played on basketball teams there. However, state rules limited only three players from one team on each side of the half-court line.

In her senior year, the state allowed for a rover who could play on both ends of the floor. That year, Gilman City finished 23-0. Although it would be three more seasons before Missouri held a state tournament for high school girls basketball teams, Gilman City set the narrative that small-school basketball would rule at the one-class state tournament, as they won it in the first four seasons.

Fortunately, Tingler caught the recruiting eye of coaches at the University of Central Missouri, and women’s college teams could play 5-on-5 just like the men’s teams. There, she earned four varsity letters.

“I came from a small school and fortunately they offered basketball,” Tingler said. “My dad had played, and I really enjoyed the game. I had a hoop in the backyard on the farm.”

After college, Tingler coached the first two seasons in Holden High School girls basketball history before making the transition to Smithville.

“We had one gym, so we took turns practicing,” Tingler said of Smithville. “The administration was very good about that. They stuck with me.”

The 1980-1981 season marked Tingler’s first winning year at Smithville, whose teams earned 22, 22, 23 and 25 wins in the ensuring seasons.

Credit a full-court pressure defense as well as longtime assistant Pat Huke, who began assisting in 1981.

“He was always so positive,” Tingler said. “If something needed to be done, he’d take care of it so I could concentrate on the practices.”

Tingler’s energy for the job was impressive, given she also was responsible for a successful track and field program from 1977 to 1991. One of her track teams won a state title.

“I kind of took what I learned in college basketball and liked the style we played,” Tingler said. “I liked full-court presses if we had the kids to do it.”

There was one wrinkle. Tingler’s husband, Steve, coached girls basketball at nearby West Platte High School, creating some interesting game weeks at the Tingler house with sons Jayce and Jerad.

“A lot of reporters had a lot of fun with that,” Tingler said. “It was a lot quieter at the house during those times.”

Overall, what a tremendous career it was. She also is an inductee of the Greater Kansas City Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

“I had a lot of support, a lot of good players,” Tingler said. “It wasn’t just me.”