Welcome to the first issue of the Asian Coaches Association's newsletter.

Since we founded this organization a little less than six months ago, we

have seen a growing amount of interest. Some of the original goals we had

in mind for the association were to form a group where coaches of Asian

descent could cultivate relationships, where individuals could gain valuable

knowledge from each other, and most importantly to solidify our position

in College Athletics. In this newsletter, you will find some fun facts about

Asians in sports, pertinent news stories, as well as success stories of cur-

rent members.

Our first events as a group were at the Men's and Women's Final Four.

They were an absolute success. I want to thank Jeff Hironaka (Assistant

Coach at Washington State) for speaking at the Men's event as well as Julie

Shaw (Assistant Coach at Gonzaga) for speaking at the Women's event.

Coach Hironaka spoke of some of the challenges we face as a minority in

college and professional athletics but was confident that any barriers will

be overcome by today's generation of Asian Americans as shown by the

rise of Jeremy Lin, as well as the success of current Head Coaches Erik

Spoelstra of the Miami Heat and University of San Francisco Head Coach

Rex Walters.

Coach Shaw discussed different ways to network, a good recruiting men-

tality, our comfort zones, and utilizing our inner circles. Coach Shaw is a

very impressive success story in her own right. Also, our special guest was

Head Coach Sue Semrau from Florida State University. Coach Semrau

welcomed the ACA to the WBCA and encouraged our growth within the

community.

We will email monthly newsletters and hope to be a reliable resource to

you. Remember to share the Asian Coaches Association to all your coach-

ing friends of all levels and sports.

Thank you for your support and attendance at our events. Please always

feel free to contact me at mm3936@columbia.edu or our Director of Mem-

bership Services Steve Yang at coach_syang@yahoo.com.

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April 2013

Quote of the Month:

“Happiness begins where

selfishness ends.” ~John

Wooden

Did You Know?

In it’s first month of exis-

tence, the Asian Coaches

Association has 50 mem-

bers?

STEVE YANG

Director of Membership

Services

MIKE MAGPAYO

President

Vol. 1, Issue 1

World War II was still fresh in American minds when Japanese American Wataru Misaka be-

came the first player of Asian descent to play in the NBA (then known as the Basketball Asso-

ciation of America). Standing at a mere 5’7”, the Nisei point-guard was the first-round pick of

the New York Knicks.

Wataru “Wat” Misaka was born December 21, 1923 in Ogden, Utah. He recalls being physi-

cally active throughout his life: “I was interested in all kinds of sports and basketball was one

of them,” Misaka told The New York Times. “My father was an avid baseball fan and encour-

aged me to do whatever I wanted. In school, I was also captain of the football team, a short-

stop, [and] ran track.” Misaka played for Weber Junior College in Ogden and then led the Uni-

versity of Utah to the 1944 NCAA championships. Shortly thereafter, he enlisted in the army

and spent nine months in Japan during the American occupation. In 1947, Misaka returned to

the University of Utah and led the team to the NIT championships, earning a place in the Utah

Sports hall of Fame in 1999.

After a memorable defensive performance in the 1947 NIT championships, which Misaka re-

called to The New York Times as “the best game I played over all,” he was drafted by the New

York Knicks. Misaka suffered from his height and struggled with shooting. After only three

games and seven points, Misaka was cut from the team without an explanation. He left without

question: “I guess at the time I felt like it didn’t have to be a reason. Being a minority, we

learned to live with that sort of thing without complaining,” Misaka recalls. He does not think,

however, that he was cut for racial reasons.

Misaka packed his things, turned down an invitation to play for the Harlem Globetrotters and

returned home to Utah where he finished earning his degree in mechanical engineering. He

worked for the Sperry Corporation as an engineer and currently holds season tickets for Uni-

versity of Utah basketball games. “I’m not a real fan of the NBA,” Misaka remarked. “I prefer

the college game.” But it isn’t because Misaka holds grudges. He says he says nothing but

pleasant memories of his brief stint with the Knicks.

In 2000, Misaka was featured in a sports pioneers exhibit at the Japanese-American National

Museum in Los Angeles. His Knicks sneakers were displayed alongside his Utah jersey and

shorts.

New York Knicks

Wataru Misaka

Point Guard

College: Weber College (1941-

1943); Utah (1943-1944, 1946-1947)

Linsanity: Jeremy Lin's rise to stardom

Harvard-educated Jeremy Lin shot from obscurity to stardom to become one of the few Asians

to play professional basketball in the NBA. His sudden rise and stellar play inspired the catch-

word "Linsanity" and won him fans around the world. Charlie Rose reports.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50144360n

Rockets GM: Lin is "explosive"

Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Houston Rockets, describes player Jeremy Lin as "the

most explosive, accelerating athlete [the team has] ever measured." How does he know?

There's an app for that.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50144426n

Lin: From Harvard to the NBA

What was the hardest part of Jeremy Lin's transition from college to the pros? The Houston

Rockets' point guard says there were two challenges he faced.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50144425n

Houston Rockets

Jeremy Lin

Point Guard

College: Harvard

This month we will celebrate the success of member Riza Zalameda, who joined the Colum-

bia Women's Tennis Staff this season and has helped lead them to their 1st ever Ivy League

Championship!

Riza Zalameda, a former WTA Tour player and one of the best women’s players in collegiate tennis

in the past decade, joined the Columbia women's tennis program as an assistant coach in the summer

of 2012

"I’m thrilled to have Riza Zalameda join our program," head coach Ilene Weintraub said. "With the

success she’s had at both the collegiate and professional levels, I know she will be an outstanding ad-

dition to the Columbia women’s tennis program. With two NCAA titles under her belt, Riza has

shown that she has what it takes to beat the best in the nation, and I look forward to her passing that

knowledge on to the student-athletes in our program. We raised the bar of Columbia women’s tennis this year, and

Riza is going to help us take the next step."

Zalameda spent four years on the WTA tour after her graduation from UCLA, and has played in all four major tourna-

ments, achieving a top-100 ranking in doubles as a professional. She has two ITF singles titles and six doubles titles on

the women’s circuit, and won five medals at the Southeast Asian Games, representing the Philippines.

Prior to her professional career, Zalameda was one of the most highly decorated players in UCLA women’s tennis his-

tory. An eight-time ITA Division I All-American in singles and doubles, Zalameda capped a fantastic career with a

standout senior season.

In 2008, Zalameda helped lead the Bruins to the program’s first-ever NCAA team championship title, clinching the 4-0

win with a victory in the No.1 singles spot over Susie Babos of Cal. That spring, she also won an NCAA Doubles

Championship, finishing the year as the top-ranked team in the nation, with partner Tracy Lin. She was named the

NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in 2008, was named the ITA Doubles Team of the Year with Lin, and

the ITA National Senior Player of the Year. And in her conference, she not only won PAC-10 Championships in both

singles and doubles, but she was named the PAC-10 Player and Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Following her 2011 retirement from professional tennis due to injury, Zalameda returned to school to finish her educa-

tion, as she is pursuing a master’s degree in contemporary global ethics and Human values at the University of London

King’s College School of Law.

A native of Beverly Hills, Calif., Zalameda graduated from UCLA in 2008, and attended Beverly Hills High School,

No. 65 Women's Tennis Earns First Ivy League Title with Win Over No. 73 Princeton

http://www.gocolumbialions.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9600&ATCLID=207352968