Coley’s mission: Stand Tall

NORTH LIBERTY - The words of a picture book are imprinted on Chase Coley's left shoulder blade:

'Walk as proudly as you can, and the world will look up to you.”

The phrase comes from Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon, a children's book authored by Patty Lovell.

'My mom used to read that to me and my sister,” said Coley, a freshman-to-be for the University of Iowa women's basketball team.

The scripted tattoo is in memorium of her mother, Kelli Jo Behrens-Coley, who died of a heart attack in November 2010. And it's appropriate for a somewhat-homesick 6-foot-3 girl.

'I miss my home,” she said. 'I miss relaxing on my couch. But the girls here are making me feel at home.”

Coley is a national top-100 recruit and the reigning Miss Basketball in Minnesota at Washburn High School in Minneapolis. She scored 19 points Wednesday in her team's 105-65 Game Time League victory at the North Liberty Community Center.

You see 6-foot-3, you think post. But before Coley grew, once upon a time, she was a point guard.

'I'm impressed with her,” said sophomore Ally Disterhoft, who joins Coley on the McCurry's/Culver's squad. 'She's pretty good with her driving ability, a lot of us didn't expect that.”

Coley made her first three shots (including a pair of 3-pointers) and had 10 points in the first 8 minutes. She finished 8-of-19 from the floor.

'I think I'm pretty agile for my height,” she said. 'I need to keep improving my ball skills. And I need to get stronger.”

At 165 pounds, Coley was regularly backed down on the block by Iowa center Bethany Doolittle. Her team only had one reserve, and when Coley got tired, she shot became flat.

'That's (fatigue),” Coley said. 'When I'm fresh, I have a lot more arch on my shot. My dad (Tylor, Chase's coach at Washburn) always got on me about that.”

Coley is one of four incoming freshmen, joining Miss Indiana Basketball Whitney Jennings, Canadian Christina Buttenham and Carly Mohns. The Hawkeyes return everyone but Theairra Taylor from a team that went 27-9 and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament last year.

ESPN has the Hawkeyes ranked No. 12 in an early set of preseason rankings.

'It puts a target on our backs, which we haven't had for a while,” Disterhoft said. 'We're going to get after it every day.”

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@sourcemedia.net