Before we get into the memories, there is something I just have to say about Jonnie Bass.

I’ll bet if she had her way, she would have pulled a fast one on all of us.

She would have taken her 31-year career coaching girls basketball at Rich East and slipped quietly out the back door without any fanfare.

Bass resigned in October. With the lockdown on winter sports due to the coronavirus pandemic, it could have been 2021 before we even knew she had left her coaching position at Rich Township.

But a really nice tribute recently on a popular Facebook page called South Suburban Hoops shouted out her accomplishments.

I’m happy to pass along the congratulations on a great career.

Which, by the way, more than likely isn’t over.

“Right now, I’m just sitting still until this thing clears up with COVID,” Bass said. “Then I’m going to get back out there and start looking for a high school or college coaching job.”

As for the story behind her resigning at Rich Township, this is as much as she will allow.

“The most I’m willing to say is the district wanted to move in a different direction,” said Bass, who will remain at Rich Township as a dean.

I’ll take it from there.

The “different direction” was necessitated at the end of the 2019-20 school year when Rich East closed. She was supposed to be a co-coach for the new Rich Township team along with Rich South coach Brian Mays.

Bass and Mays have been rivals for many years. They have their own styles. They have their own systems. They liked having their own programs.

And so it went.

Mays will continue on at Rich Township. Bass will find a fit at some lucky school.

Enough said about that. Let’s move on to the memories.

They began for Bass in the late 1980s when she saw an ad in the local newspaper announcing assistant coach openings at Rich East in girls basketball and softball.

The years we’ll remember were from 2001 through 2020. As the girls varsity basketball coach, Bass won two conference titles, two regional titles, two Bloom Holiday Tournament championships and one Hillcrest Holiday Classic title.

She had a lot of successful seasons.

“And a lot of great kids,” Bass said. “All of the kids that stayed in my program graduated, and we were at about an 87% rate of kids who went to college either to play or for academics who actually finished college.

“Seeing the growth of the girls, academically and athletically, was the best part of coaching. Seeing them move on to the next level was always nice. I’m in contact with probably 98% of the kids I’ve coached.”

The bond was never as evident as it was when Bass missed the 2016-17 season due to a serious illness.

“They would just call to say hi,” Bass said. “I heard from so many kids, and ever since then, they’ve stayed in contact.”

DeVale Stubbs served as the head coach that season, and Darren Green and Henry Carter were the assistants.

Bass said she learned a lot about loyalty when she was welcomed back the following year.

“When I came back, things just fell back into suit,” Bass said. “A lot of coaches couldn’t do that. But I took pride in my coaching staff. They did a great job.”

Bass suffered an emotional blow in October 2019 when it was announced Rich East was closing.

“It was sad,” Bass said. “I had spent my entire career in that building, so it was a different switch for me. And then we went home one day and COVID hit, and we didn’t have closure.

“We didn’t go back until it was time to start packing our stuff. And then we moved. It has been a transition after being there so long.”

Bass is finishing her administrative career at Rich South. Her heart, though, remains at Rich East.

“Rich East was one of the best experiences I’ve had,” she said. “I started my career there, and there were a lot of good times.”

And memories, many of which she provided.

Jonnie, take a bow.