DARLINGTON — A 200th win for the Redbirds’ 10-year tenured head coach wouldn’t come anywhere else, or under any other circumstances. The Wildcats just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time in a 70-41  beatdown on Jan. 20 at Darlington (10-2, 5-0 SWAL).

For the Redbirds’ aforementioned head coach, Tom Uppena, reaching the mark was a result of emulating proven techniques and practices. It’s all the more impressive that he’s accomplished the milestone in less than 250 games.

“I don’t really have a philosophy of basketball, I just try to run a team like my dad did,” he said. “I spent a lot of years as a manager and eventual player watching him interact with players.”

Tom Uppena’s dad, Dennis Uppena, was the legendary head coach for Cassville’s boys team for 29 years. Dennis Uppena posted a career record of 441-237 over that span, including a playoff record of 71-26 that featured 11 regional titles, seven sectional titles, three state runner-up titles and three state championship titles. Regular season accolades abounded for the Comets’ coach as well — nine conference titles, and a 66.2% win rate in conference matchups.

Despite all the big picture results, it was the little things that Dennis Uppena liked to focus on, as well as practicing. 

“I asked him once many years ago what his favorite part of coaching was, and I’ll never forget him telling me that it was taping ankles,” Tom Uppena said. “Before every practice, the guys would sit on the stage and he would tape ankles. He loved talking to them for a few minutes to see how things were going.”

“He loved practices way more than games, because it was a chance to teach and see kids grow,” he added.

While 10th ranked Southwestern (11-3, 4-2) happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, the exact opposite was true for Tom Uppena. 

In 2016, the year he was hired via a unanimous school board vote, Tom Uppena was entering his sixth year as a guidance counselor. He’d also spent the prior four years coaching the junior varsity squad, with an additional year under his belt coaching the freshman boys prior to that.

“I got into coaching at Darlington because when I was hired to work at the school, I was asked whether I wanted to coach JV girls or freshmen boys basketball,” he said. “It was never my intention to coach, but it wasn’t really a choice. I ended up picking freshmen boys because I didn’t have any coaching experience and had a lot to learn.”

And Tom Uppena had a handful of role models.

“I learned a lot from Matt Fink, who was the JV coach at the time, as well as Coach (Mike) Hopkins,” he said. 

Hopkins was the Redbirds head coach for two stints over 19 years, and had a 469-342 overall record in 33 total seasons. His tenure featured six conference titles, a trio of regional titles, along with one sectional title and one state title.

“I still do some of the drills I learned from them years ago,” Tom Uppena said. “I hope former Redbird coaches and players are happy with the direction the program has gone. I’m proud to lead the program in such a great community, and I’m proud to be a Redbird.”

The already-storied Darlington head coach knows the community he has is just as important as the wins they help garner as well. 

“The best part of winning games is knowing I share it with so many great players, teams, assistants, and my family,” Tom Uppena said. “I’ve had plenty of talent and kids that are willing to work hard and want to win. Those kids come from great families that share and encourage those values. I’ve had great assistants over the years — Christian Ruf has been with me for all 10 years, and then you add in guys like Brad Solberg, Tanner Havens, Riley Fitzsimons, Aaron Lancaster, Will Schwartz, Brad Murray, Tom Curry, Cole Trumble, and Nick Hicks, to name a few.”

“I’ve been surrounded by great guys with a deep knowledge of the game who always wanted what’s best for the Redbird basketball program,” he added. “I’ve learned a lot about basketball from those guys. I also learned a lot from that first team I coached. Honestly, I learned more from them than they learned from me.”

Tom Uppena’s 2016-17 team enjoyed a perfect regular season, accompanied by a 14-0 SWAL conference record. On the court, Darlington was led by four first team all-conference athletes, including player of year Will Schwartz. The only things that could’ve made that better — a gold ball. Unfortunately, a date with literal Destiny — a 26-1 team whose only loss came against D2’s Pius XI Catholic that year — saw a 76-55 loss for the Redbirds in the Division 4 State Championship game.

“It was an amazing way to start a career,” Tom Uppena said. “I still don’t always know what I’m doing, so I lean on my coaches, players,a nd past experiences to try to get better. I also couldn’t coach without a loving and supportive wife. She’s basically a single parent during basketball season and keeps the house running. Her and the boys make a lot of sacrifices for me.”

Now for the game — a 70-41 blowout that saw Darlington shoot 57.7% from the field (30-of-52), and 68.8% from inside the arc (22-of-32). In addition to accurate offense, the Redbirds played a physical defense that out-rebounded the Wildcats’ offense 27-10 and as a whole, 33-27.

The result at the half was a 38-16 advantage that didn’t get closer than 10 points once Ryder Fitzsimons drained a layup along the baseline following a Broker Buschor steal, putting the score at 18-7 with 9:16 to play in the first frame.

“I was happy with the focus and effort against Southwestern,” Tom Uppena said. “They are a very good team and are well-coached, and they are always a challenge to play against.”

Even as the second frame got under way, the Wildcats were unable to trim the gap by more than a point or two at a time. That was due in part to efficient shooting all around, as Zuberbuhler led all ballplayers with 17 points and nine assists. Three others scored in double figures, with Grady O’Brien and Fitzsimons matching Southwestern’s team-high effort of 11 points by Carsen Splinter, while Dante Glendenning eked in with 10 points.

Supporting stat leaders included Zuberbuhler with nine assists, followed by Buschor with six. The duo also paced steals with four apiece, while the latter ballplayer’s six rebounds led the team

“I thought we moved the ball on offense better than we have all year,” Tom Uppena said. “We had four guys in double figures and nine that scored. Zeke played his best game of the year in my opinion, getting to the paint consistently and either scoring or kicking to teammates. Their number one goal was to take Broker out of the game, and with so much attention on him, the other guys stepped up and played very well on both ends.” 

“We have a very deep team, so there isn’t much of a drop off, if any, when we go deep on the bench,” he added. “I have to give those guys who don’t get many minutes a lot of credit, because they show up every day and work hard at practice, and make the entire team better. I’m blessed with a great group of young men.”

Even as win 200 becomes a soon, and eventually distant memory, Tom Uppena still had more takeaway lessons from his parents than about just the lesser-seen aspects of coaching, the endless hours of preparation off the court, the 36 minutes of regulation on it, and the 20-30 games per season.

“He and my mom always prioritized faith, family, and basketball, in that order,” he said. “They taught me to appreciate the little things in life, to be thankful for every day, and to love each other unconditionally. No matter what happens on the court, I hope the guys all know that I love them no matter what and I always want what’s best for them.”