'She was doing what she loved doing'
By ERIC PLUMMER
Sports editor
SANDPOINT — It’s been nearly two decades since Alli Nieman was torching the nets at the University of Idaho with runners, floaters and fade away jumpers, establishing records that still stand today.
But that hasn’t stopped the awards from rolling in, including the latest and possibly greatest among them, as Nieman will be inducted into the Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday during a ceremony at the Spokane Arena.
It’s the fourth hall of fame for the Sandpoint native, starting with the Bulldog Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005, the University of Idaho Hall of Fame in 2008, the state of Idaho Hall of Fame in 2010 and now this upcoming enshrinement.
Nieman will now have a cubicle at the Arena alongside the likes of Utah Jazz icon John Stockton, Chicago Cub great Ryne Sandberg and Green Bay Packers legend Jerry Kramer, among others, as one of the region’s greatest athletes. Suffice it to say, she was a little shocked to get the congratulatory call over the summer.
“I was so surprised, it’s such a high honor. The list isn’t very long. When I looked at the list, I was floored,” admitted Nieman. “This is probably the biggest, because it’s the most elite one. Around this area, it’s the highest Hall of Fame you can get in.”
‘She was just Alli’
Talk to those in the know, from her former high school coach to the reporter who covered her stellar prep career at Sandpoint to her parents, and you’re likely to hear a familiar refrain when asked what sticks out most about Nieman, now 39 and a school counselor at Timberlake Junior High, raising kids ages 4 and 2 years old.
Despite being a four-time all-state volleyball player and winning two state titles, and a three-time all-Inland Empire League Player of the Year in hoops while taking the Bulldogs to a runner up finish in 5A basketball as a senior, Nieman put on no heirs on or off the court.
Mark Nelke, the Bee sports editor during her distinguished prep career, had a front row seat to many of the games in packed gyms at Sandpoint High School. One word came to mind first when recalling Nieman’s athletic career.
“Humble. She was good at basketball and volleyball, but you’d never know it. She was just Alli,” remembered Nelke. “You never saw any kind of attitude from her, always gracious. But it didn’t stop her from ripping your heart out if she needed to.”
Duane Ward, the current SHS girls head basketball coach, was also the coach during Nieman’s senior year and hoped to run a fancy new “equal opportunity offense” as he called it. It didn’t take long into the first game before he scrapped it, and starting running sets through Nieman, realizing he had the best player in the state at his disposal.
With a strong supporting cast, the Bulldogs made the finals of the 1996 5A state title game, losing in overtime to Centennial for the school’s best ever finish. Nieman would score a record 2,046 points at Sandpoint, never once failing to reach double figures in scoring.
“She was very humble. Just one of the girls. Outgoing, a very confident player and very confident person,” described Ward. “You would never know she was an outstanding athlete. She got along well with the girls, a real testament to her character.”
The prep honors stacked up like yesterday’s mail, which in Nieman’s case was often full of recruiting letters from blue blood basketball and volleyball programs, each vying for her athletic services.
Ultimately she opted to stay close to home, choosing Idaho and no doubt pleasing parents Jim and Wendy Nieman, who would be able to watch her games without going broke incurring travel costs.
Through it all, Wendy said her daughter never changed, invoking that familiar word again.
“What I admired most was how humble she was about all of her success and honors,” said Wendy. “She was very humble, and still is, and I admire her for that. It was so fun to watch her. She was doing what she loved doing.”
“Get back and play defense”
Nelke remembers seeing a 5th grade city rec game where Nieman was more than holding her own against the boys, the genesis of a scoring machine that was just getting revved up.
Coached by her dad Jim at every level of play, Nieman honed the skills that would lead to a full ride scholarship at Idaho, where she became the only Vandal player to ever scored 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds. Her 2,140 points is still the school record, amassed during four All-Big West seasons where she once again never failed to reach at least double figures in points.
Jim remembers a press conference before the game where Alli would break the Vandals all-time scoring mark, when she was asked by a reporter what she planned to do after breaking the record.
“She looked at him and said ‘get back and play defense,’” recalled Jim, who like Alli was shocked to hear about the latest Hall of Fame honor. “My first thought was wow. You realize what a level of player she was. It’s pretty much the ultimate award for this area. They’re really selective and they said she was a unanimous pick.”
Nieman tried to play both volleyball and basketball for one season at Idaho, even earning all-league freshman honors in volleyball, but ultimately the logistics were simply too demanding, and she settled on her first love full time.
Despite constant double and occasionally triple teams, Nieman was as unstoppable in college as she had been in high school. She scored 36 a handful of times, and was named the Idaho State Female Athlete of the Year in both 1997 and 1999.
She was asked what she reflects on most when thinking back on a distinguished athletic career.
“The awesome teammates that I had, and the fun times we had together,” she said, also mentioning the father-daughter bonding. “He taught me a lot. All the time we got to spend together in the gym. He was always willing to help me rebound.”
‘My parents played a big role’
Alli has deep roots in Sandpoint, coming up often to visit her parents and younger brother Paul Nieman, himself a standout athlete at Sandpoint. The two played one-on-one often growing up, with big sister holding court until Paul hit high school and even then it was still a battle.
When she does have the time to reflect on her youth, she does so fondly.
“I loved growing up in Sandpoint, it has always had a great support for athletics,” she said. “The gym would be packed, it was a big deal.”
Her best high school memory was as a junior volleyball player, when the Bulldogs ended St. Maries’ epic 145-match win streak.
“They had the nation’s longest winning streak going,” recalled Nieman. “It was such a high intensity game. The gym was just packed.”
Back then the two North Idaho schools had a heated rivalry in volleyball, both storied programs with plenty of state banners adorning the walls.
The match did not disappoint, one of the reasons it’s still remembered today by both Nieman and Nelke.
“It was intense, I remember that. I remember a buzz that night walking in,” described Nelke. “They were two of the best volleyball teams in the state, regardless of classification.”
Playing for your dad, especially every year through high school, can be a good thing or a bad thing, as sometimes the relationships don’t work out for the best despite the best of intentions.
Not so in Jim and Alli’s case, as Ward noticed a strong dynamic right away when he took the head coaching job.
“They worked very well together, they were so used to each other. No conflicts at all, she listened well,” said Ward. “She was a delight to coach. She did everything you asked. She was so dedicated to basketball.”
Both Wendy and Jim are excited for Alli, knowing full well the work she put in as a youth is now being recognized and honored at an elite level.
Hall of Fame induction speeches are often emotional, and such will likely be the case on Tuesday, when Nieman will thank her family first and foremost.
“Both of my parents played a big role,” she conceded. “They were super encouraging and always supporting me.”
Tickets for the induction are available online, with the ceremony starting on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 4 p.m. at the Spokane Arena.
Eric Plummer can be reached by email at eplummer@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @EricDailyBee.