I am writing this week's BeLOnG Blog from 30,000 feet in the air on the flight home with Cal women's basketball. Although the final score of the game didn't go our way versus Notre Dame, I am still on a high from the experience. More than a game of basketball, this weekend highlighted the power of women in sport and society, and the significance of one's roots. As we continue to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, I thought I'd utilize this week's BeLOnG to amplify our very own Coach Charmin Smith and the city that produced her.
 
Coach Charmin is so much more than our head women's basketball coach. She is an inspiration and pioneer of women's basketball in St. Louis. 
 
Notre Dame's Head Women's Basketball Coach—Niele Ivey— is another amazing Black woman, coach, and St. Louis basketball icon. As a player, she won Notre Dame's first  NCAA championship in St. Louis in 2001. On Friday as part of the Inaugural Citi Shamrock Classic Weekend, Cal and Notre Dame's women's basketball programs visited the Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club where she and Coach Charmin spent many hours honing their basketball skills in the trenches.   
 
As I listened to Coach Ivey describe Charmin's influence and example of what was possible for female hoopers growing up in St. Louis, I realized afresh how special Charmin is. Her presence in the hallways of Haas Pavilion can be unassuming at times. She's an influencer who doesn't need or seek the limelight. She's a social justice warrior who doesn't typically use a megaphone. Still, her passion is felt, her swag is seen, and her voice is heard.
 
Family Roots
 
Thousands of miles away from St. Louis, the Bay Area benefits from the fruit that is Charmin Smith; yet, this weekend, I got a closer glimpse of the root that undergirds her. 
 
I had the honor of meeting Coach Charmin's family. I enjoyed hearing her dad's brilliance as he showed me pictures of his home renovation skills and throwback pictures of a tenacious nine-year old Charmin holding the torch for the Olympics. 
 
It was a joy to meet Charmin's mom and see her rapport with our student-athletes, as she showed them that she knows the Cal Stroll. 

 
It was special to visit Coach Charmin's high school— Ladue Horton Watkins High School—and hear the excitement of a former teammate reflect on Charmin's prowess back in the day. 
 
It was inspiring to see her and Coach Ivey use their platforms to pour back into the city of St. Louis—their hometown–while showing their current players and girls and boys around the world what it means to remember your roots. 
 
HERstory

HERstory was definitely made in St. Louis this weekend. 
 
The game between Cal and Notre Dame was the first women's basketball game ever televised on NBC! It's a feat to be celebrated, even as it is also telling about the obstacles women face that it took until 2022 to be achieved. I am glad Cal Athletics got to be part of this HERstorical moment. 
 
HERstories are often made by women of Cal. Notably, Cal and Stanford intramural teams played in the first ever intercollegiate women's basketball game in 1896. Cal officially commenced its women's basketball program in 1973-74, following the passing of Title IX. 
 
HERstories / histories are important—not just to know our beginnings, but to truly understand and experience belonging. 
 

Connecting Dots

While some may know that I was born and raised in Bermuda and spent 10 years at Mizzou as a professor, fewer may be aware that my biological father was born and raised in St. Louis. So this weekend was a homecoming of sorts for me as well, as I got to see aunts, uncles, and cousins in my home state.

Moreover, I enjoyed growing in my knowledge about the journeys of two Division 1 head coaches and phenomenal Black women from St. Louis—Coach Charmin and Coach Ivey, and the village that produced them and—through the lineage of my late father—helped to produce me. 
 
Thank you Cal Women's Basketball and Coach Charmin for all you do! It's an honor to share St. Louis roots and a commitment to DEIBJ with you. Congratulations and thank you to Coach Ivey and Notre Dame Athletics for being excellent hosts! This weekend was truly an HERstorical experience!
 
#WeBeLOnG
 
Dr. Ty Douglas 
Associate AD for DEIBJ