By Derrick Smith

The old saying goes, “Find a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

While many people are familiar with that quote, Deer Creek varsity girls basketball coach Hope Heinen is a walking example of it.

“I say often that I am living the dream,” Heinen stated. “I have a strong passion for the power of sports. It’s just so much bigger than any game; the lessons learned and the relationships made cannot be measured in a win or loss column. My favorite part about coaching is realizing any impact that I have made on a student-athlete, the culture of a program or on a community. It may be a few years after they graduate before they realize how much we really pour into them, but my goal is to empower these girls in many different ways.”

Heinen is in her second year coaching at Deer Creek. Before that, she coached at Harrah for two years and was an assistant coach at Mustang for five years.

Throughout her life, Hope has been influenced by a number of different coaches, but she says that the most impactful one was her high school coach.

“When it comes to influences on my coaching, the first person that comes to mind is Kevin Korstjens,” she said. “I played for him in high school and then coached with him for five years at Mustang. His values, character, passion, energy, and attention to detail make him the best of the best. I knew this was the kind of coach I wanted to be. Never a lazy practice, never a lazy film session, never a lazy workout, standards set extremely high for players and staff; so much love for the game and the people in it.”

Sports have been a part of Heinen’s life for as long as she can remember. She says that while she enjoys coaching, it was not her first choice of career.

“I studied family studies/child development while playing collegiate soccer and basketball,” she said. “I intended to go into social work or some sort of child development career. As my playing career came to an end, I knew I could not be away from a team environment. I had people asking me if I was ready to take over a basketball program in a district that was close to my heart. I got certified to teach, started coaching at 21 years old, and knew right away this is what I was meant to do.”