Needless to say, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented Chico State student-athletes with a myriad of challenges. Coaches, too, have had to work overtime to find creative ways of keeping their teams together and the players focused on immediate priorities while waiting to return to competition. Women’s basketball assistant coach Meghan de los Reyes has been especially busy during the fall and winter months, assisting head coach Brian Fogel with providing the care and support needed to keep the team thinking positive and continuing to feel like a unit. Her tireless efforts make de los Reyes the latest Wildcat of the Week.
“We had been kept in the loop by Anita (Barker, Chico State Director of Athletics), so we sort of had an idea that we might not be able to carry on safely with the season,” de los Reyes said. “Brian and I understood that going into the day when the announcement was made (that the 2020–21 season was canceled). What we didn’t expect was how difficult it was to see the disappointment on the player’s faces when we broke the news to them on Zoom.”
Fogel and de los Reyes were obviously disappointed as well, but knew what they had to do to maintain the culture and welfare of the program.
“Of course it’s tough for Brian and I as coaches, because we’re taken off the court and being denied the game we love,” de los Reyes said. “However, so little of my time and energy is taken up by my personal feelings about not having a season. It’s all about the girls and being their support through all of this.”
As with the other Chico State sports programs, any connection de los Reyes makes with the Wildcat players has had to be done virtually.
“We haven’t been able to do anything in person; it’s been all virtual,” de los Reyes said. “We’ve done everything we can to stay in communication and show our support through Zoom meetings, face time and individual phone calls.
“Both Brian and I have reached out individually and had group meetings whenever we felt the time was right. We’ve tried to get creative on Zoom and have a little fun with it. We’ve developed some games to play together on our team Zoom meetings to liven things up and stay sharp. The players eat it up…they’re passionate and competitive and fun-loving.”
Coaching in a regular season environment is challenging enough, but doing it virtually has been a test that de los Reyes has not shied away from embracing.
“It’s way more challenging to coach virtually,” she said. “We’re used to being on the court and coaching amidst our routine. We’re used to having a ball in our hands. But the most important aspect of coaching cannot be taken away— and that is to constantly show our care and support for our athletes.”
De los Reyes will be the first to admit, though, that Zoom meetings don’t even come close to taking the place of being in the gym and in-person instruction.
“That’s the hardest part. Missing basketball is tough enough, but I really miss my girls,” de los Reyes said. “One thing that I’ve learned throughout COVID is that relationships are everything, and not being able to see our athletes has been very challenging. It also increases my appreciation for all of the small conversations and laughs and fun times we have outside our sport.”
The Wildcat players feel the same way about de los Reyes. Here’s just a sampling of the high regard the team has for her:
Shay Stark
“Coach Meg is positive on and off the court, always pushing me to do and be better. No matter how bad I feel, she’s there to pick me up. I can count of her for anything!”
Bailey Jones
“She’s the ultimate Wildcat. She’s everything the Wildcats stand for and what all future Wildcats look forward to becoming. I’m so happy for her and the women’s basketball team for having a coach and mentor like Meg.”
Haley Ison
“Coach Meghan is an incredible mentor and coach who really knows how to make people feel like part of the Wildcat Family. She inspires others to work hard and brings out their true Wildcat spirit.”
Hannah Washington
“Meghan is always there for you when you need her. She makes you feel heard, valued, and loved. She is a great coach because she sees your highest potential, and reminds you of it even when you’re in your lowest state. She truly cares.”
De los Reyes began her coaching career over a decade ago, with college stints at Alaska Anchorage and Southern Oregon University before coming to Chico State in 2018. After wrapping up her playing career at Alaska Anchorage, she left basketball behind and moved to San Diego for a year (where she met her husband Glen). But while there, she decided that she wanted to return to the game—and in a meaningful way.
“You know the saying, ‘You don’t what you’ve got ’til it’s gone’?,” de los Reyes said. “When I no longer had basketball in my life, I realized how much I needed it. Once I went back to Alaska (to become an assistant coach), there was no looking back. I just knew how big a role basketball played in my life and development as a person, and I knew that I could make a difference in young people’s lives through this sport.”
Since joining Fogel’s Chico State staff as his top assistant, de los Reyes has played a major role in the program’s development while bolstering her personal coaching resume.
“I am so grateful that Meghan is a part of our program,” Fogel said. “She is a tireless worker that has developed a great rapport with the kids. Meghan has been especially invaluable during this crazy time we’re all experiencing.”
De los Reyes has a mutual admiration for the Wildcats’ head coach.
“I’m so thankful to have the opportunity to work with Brian,” de los Reyes said. “He is a genius basketball-wise; he really knows his stuff. I have learned so much from him in the past three years. I feel I’ve become such a better coach for so many reasons.
“I’ve been fortunate that Brian has given me a wide umbrella of responsibility, and I’m so fortunate because I get to dabble in (every aspect of the program). He’s been very straightforward that his role is to make me feel prepared to be a head coach one day.”
One of those many responsibilities is recruiting players for future Wildcat teams. But thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, the process for finding fresh young talent is much different than in years past.
“We’ve been able to continue recruiting virtually,” de los Reyes said. “That means watching tons of film and having great conversations with players and their respective coaches. We receive plenty of calls and e-mails daily from prospective recruits reaching out with interest in our program. There’s nothing like watching someone play in person, but we have to adapt. We want to come out of this thing better on the other side. We do what we can to keep progressing.”
De los Reyes has also utilized the COVID-19 shutdown to hone her craft and step up her coaching game.
“I want to be a better coach for our players after this is over,” de los Reyes said. “I’ve taken advantage of this gift of time and participated in numerous virtual clinics, conferences, meetings, making connections with other coaches, and learning about all aspects of coaching. When you’re passionate about something, you want to be the best at it.”
De los Reyes is keeping her fingers crossed that with a COVID vaccine now a reality, that the Wildcats can return to the court sooner rather than later.
“I always like to carry a glimmer of hope,” she said. “With the vaccine brings a new potential reality of workouts this spring, but they might not look the same. We’ll take what we can get.”
True to her positive nature, de los Reyes wants her entire Wildcat Family—players and coaches—to remain optimistic for the future of Chico State athletics.
“This too shall pass, and we always have each other,” de los Reyes said. “Through this adversity, we will all get stronger together.”
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