Inductees

Years ago, on a western Missouri farm just outside of a town called Lincoln, her parents bolted a net-less basketball goal on the barn door when she was just a grade-schooler.

Anita Rank Oplotnik has never forgotten it. Nor she has forgotten the girls who were teammates from then through high school, or the guys she practiced against, or the coaches and college teammates along the way.

Which is why she hopes they realize that they paved the way to her success. Her road is now leading to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, which proudly inducted Oplotnik with the Class of 2019.

She was a 1,000-point scorer of two basketball programs: Lincoln High School and Missouri Southern State University.

“I realize I’ve received a lot of honors,” Oplotnik said, “but, as I look back, I owe so much to my high school and college teammates who fed me the ball, and the coaches who challenged me. There is no ‘I” in team. Everyone contributed.”

A 1984 graduate of Lincoln, Oplotnik teamed with the Lady Cardinals on a 75-10 record, including 11-0 her freshman season. They were state runners-up her senior year and a state quarterfinalist her junior season.

As a senior, she was a USA Today third team All-American and All-State. She earned first team all-district twice and all-conference her final three seasons. A 16.7 point scorer, Oplotnik was the first Lincoln girls player to score more than 1,000 career points, accomplishing the feat in only three varsity seasons. (Freshmen played only on the junior high team.)

At Missouri Southern, Oplotnik was a two-time All-American and scored 1,842 points, a record that stands today.

Oplotnik remembers her dad working with her and her sister, Sonya, on their shooting and dribbling skills. When converting running layups on the farm, they learned not to crash into that barn door.

“My parents always encouraged me to do my best,” Oplotnik said. “I feel very blessed to have been raised in a strong, faithful family that supported me and my goals.”

“I don’t know whether I ever thought of myself as a great player,” Oplotnik added. “It was just something I was passionate about.”

Her play was motivated by teammates Teresa Kaiser, Melinda Beaman, Daryla Johnson and Rhonda Brewster. Plus, Lincoln coach Marlin Hammond challenged them every day.

At MSSU, Oplotnik was a two-time first team NAIA All-District selection and a three-time, first team all-conference pick, plus the 1987 conference Player of the Year.

She set 10 records. The only one that has been broken is her single-game scoring record of 42 points, set in 1988. The record stood until 2003. (She also scored 40 and 39 points in separate games the prior two years.)

Her other MSSU records cover career field goal percentage (.564), fouls (376), games started in a season (32) but most relate to free throws: made in a game (17), in a career (476), consecutive in a game (15), attempted in a game (21), attempted in a career (600) and percentage in a game (1.000).

“I didn’t think I was all that talented but strategically smart on the court,” Oplotnik said. “I got to the free-throw line by making good decisions on the court and keeping a positive mental attitude.”

The 42-point game? The team knew she was close, but she didn’t know it.

“I remember I was exhausted and played most of the game. I motioned to the bench that I needed a break/substitution because I was winded,” Oplotnik said. “Our coach called a timeout, but then put me right back in the game. I didn’t understand why at the time, but later when I broke the record, it made sense.”

Oplotnik, who twice led the Lady Lions in scoring and led the team in rebounding for three seasons, credits coach Jim Phillips and then-athletic director Sally Beard (MSHOF 2016) for enhancing her college game.

The daughter of Jerry and Sue Rank, Oplotnik has since raised a family with husband Brad. They are parents to Kristen (24), Kelli (21), David (18) and Darin (18). She also is a successful financial advisor with Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in Springfield and serves on the MSSU Board of Governors.

“I felt like a lot of life lessons were learned over the years that are still very important,” Oplotnik said. “I’m very thankful and so grateful to my family, my coaches and my teammates over the years who have helped me be successful on and off the court.”