Lindy La Rocque Cunningham and Alan La Rocque oral history interview, 2025 December 10

Oral history interview with Lindy La Rocque Cunningham and Alan La Rocque on December 10, 2025 conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee D. White for the Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports project. In this interview, La Rocque talks about his early life growing up in Inglewood, California. La Rocque played basketball his whole life and attended California State Polytechnic University, Pomona for computer science. He was able to get a job coaching and teaching at Western High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, which he did for nineteen years. La Rocque talks about the transformation that happened within Clark County School District during his tenure, noting the various changes in superintendents and district size. La Rocque is a passionate coach, who always focused on showing up for his athletes, and passed that legacy to his daughter, Lindy. Cunningham then begins her story, growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada and watching her father coach. She knew from a young age that she wanted to follow her father’s example and become a teacher and coach as well. Growing up watching other women play also inspired her to take the game of basketball seriously. After attending Stanford University for her undergraduate degree, and the University of Oklahoma for her master’s degree, Cunningham accepted an offer to become the Women’s Basketball Head Coach for UNLV in 2021. Cunningham has used her father’s lessons and her education to become an excellent coach for the women’s basketball team. Cunningham’s philosophy regarding coaching is simple. For a successful team, she needs to delegate and manage her team efficiently. From athletes to staff, everyone on the team is important and should know their responsibilities. Cunningham also emphasizes that she fosters an environment that is welcoming, collaborative, focused on education, and an open space for all players and staff to speak their minds. La Rocque is incredibly proud of all the work that Cunningham has done as a coach for UNLV, and even though he is retired, is always there if Cunningham needs his support. They end the interview by discussing the recruitment process to bring in out-of-state athletes, and the differences between the men and women’s teams recruitment strategies. Digital audio available; no transcript available.