Tyahnna Higgs needed advice on how to invest in the stock market for her economics class at Pima College. She turned to her assistant basketball coach, Bruce Fleck.
He urged her to put the play money in beer and casinos.
"I got a good grade," she said with a smile Saturday, recalling Fleck during a memorial service at Pima's West Campus gym. Fleck, 58, died in his sleep April 8.
He helped guide the women's basketball program to three consecutive appearances in the NJCAA Division II national tournament, including a second-place finish last month.
Fleck's family, friends and basketball players recalled his upbeat personality, sense of humor and frequent habit of applying ChapStick. The memorial service concluded with attendees releasing balloons in a courtyard. He taught in the Tucson Unified School District and coached at Flowing Wells High School before joining the staff at Pima.
Former Aztecs player Abyee Maracigan has known Fleck since she was 6, when he coached her older sister at Flowing Wells. He picked Maracigan up early in the morning and drove her to a basketball tournament, turning her into a basketball junkie before she reached high school.
Fleck, the father of three daughters, knew how to handle girls and their issues, Maracigan recalled. His players would harass him, but he could dish it back, she said.
When Maracigan injured her knee last year, Fleck sent her a text message saying he was hurting for her.
"He was that rock you needed," said Maracigan, who attends Idaho State. "He was there to pick everyone up."
When Pima head coach Todd Holthaus would become angry, Fleck would calm him down, Maracigan said. (They coached together for 12 years at Flowing Wells and Pima.) And when Fleck was upset, everyone knew it was serious, Maracigan said. She said the only time he yelled was at a practice at Flowing Wells before the state championship game, and everyone made sure to listen.
"He had that respect from everybody," she said.
Gaby Ayon, who was on Pima's team for three years, remembered Fleck always offered encouragement.
"He never had anything negative to say. That's why I knew I could go to him to see what I was doing wrong," she said.
Players also enjoyed his comic relief.
"Every time he talked to us he had ChapStick, so it was hard to understand him. He was putting it on for at least 10 minutes," Ayon said with a smile.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked donations be made to The Bruce Fleck Scholarship Fund, 2202 W. Anklam Road, Tucson, 85709-0285. The fund will be for Pima women's basketball players.
Other sports
• The 10th-ranked softball team played its final regular-season home games Tuesday and swept GateWay. The Aztecs will close the season against three opponents on the road before the regional tournament. Pima (44-11, 34-8) is tied for second in the ACCAC standings with Central Arizona. Top-ranked Yavapai is leading the league. The Region I Hitter of the Week last week was Jessica Schneider (Sahuaro).
• The baseball team is 24-21 and 15-15 in the ACCAC and plays its next home games Tuesday against Scottsdale. Hayden Cota-Robles (Canyon del Oro) is second in the league with 16 doubles. Keith Zuniga (Nogales) leads the conference with 58 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings.
• In the final ACCAC meet of the season, Zion Harvey (Amphitheater) won the 100 meters in 10.56 seconds and the 200 meters in 21.56 seconds. The 4x100 relay team of Harvey, Derrick Coker (Cienega), Nathan Manigault (Bisbee) and Matthew Robertson won in a season-best 40.75 seconds. Christian Tovar (Amphi) won the hammer throw at 168 feet 8 inches. Jaqui Bell (Tombstone) threw a national-qualifying 133 feet 11 inches in the javelin.
• The women's golf team will conclude the regular season with a tournament Monday and Tuesday at Dell Urich Golf Course.
