Former East star Ingham is back at state basketball tournament, this time as a coach

A familiar face is back at the state basketball tournament.

Laura Ingham, a two-time Alaska Player of the Year in the late 1990s, is winning games again, this time as the head coach of East High School, her alma mater.

"It's home," Ingham said about her return to the same hallways she walked as a student. "The teachers, the kids, I love everything about East."

In her first season as the team's coach, Ingham led the T-Birds to a runner-up finish in the always-tough Cook Inlet Conference and was named the Class 4A Coach of the Year. East enters Friday's Class 4A semifinals on the heels of a 60-48 quarterfinal win Thursday against Southeast Conference champion Ketchikan.

"It's a great opportunity and means a lot to the school," East High principal Sam Spinella said of Ingham's return. "It means a lot to the kids. It gives them a connection and a commitment to the school and the coach."

Ingham, the Alaska Player of the Year in 1998 and 1999, dazzled as a 5-foot-4 point guard for the T-birds. She played two years of Division I basketball at Ohio State and two years at Division I Nevada, where in 2003 she compiled the first triple-double in the history of the women's program with 18 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.

Earlier that season, Ingham powered the Wolf Pack to the 2002 Great Alaska Shootout title with wins over UAA and Indiana and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. She still ranks in the top 10 in two categories for Nevada — she's second in assists (385) and eighth in steals (145).

Ingham moved back to Anchorage in 2004 and has worked as a parent in the Alaska foster care system for a dozen years. She also works as a security guard at East.

"You see her around school sometimes and we'll just all be joking and laughing," said East senior Daisy Page, a third team all-state member.

"But (there are) times at practice where we'll have to take it serious and she'll step up, and she's not our friend at that point."

Spinella believes Ingham's experience with Alaska's foster-care system — she grew up in it, and then she became a foster parent in it — translates well to coaching.

"She knows how to work with (kids)," he said. "She knows how to build their strengths when they feel weak and intimidated. She has a lot of abilities with people skills, besides just coaching or her skill of the game."

Ingham's coaching philosophy comes from another famous T-Bird, Dorena Bingham. In 15 seasons as East's head coach, Bingham won three state championships (none with Ingham) and advanced to the state tournament 10 times (four with Ingham).

Ingham said her favorite moment this season came when she introduced the team to Bingham.

"(As a player) I actually watched to see what she was doing," Ingham said. "Bingham had a great ability of not just developing good players, but seeing the potential in other players and bringing that out of them. I think right now I'm focused on giving these girls the same opportunities that I had regardless of their skill level."

Practices are intense, just like when Ingham played for Bingham. The goal is to prepare athletes for the next level, but it also creates a family environment, Page said.

Ingham may be a well-known figure in Alaska hoops history, but she doesn't want her team to be defined by her or her successes.

"I want the girls to have these experiences," she said. "I've done everything I've wanted to do basketball-wise, but if I leave here with a (state championship) ring or not, it's not even about me anymore. I'm good."