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[00:00:58] I never actually thought I was going to be a coach.

[00:01:20] I started playing park ball when I was 13 and I was the only girl.

[00:01:52] Gina was probably my first introduction to good coaching.

[00:02:30] She was the first person who had taught fundamentals.

[00:03:27] I transferred to a school I'd never seen.

[00:04:14] The culture of the team was poor…I had teammates that would yell at me for going too hard in practice.

[00:05:55] I just went to my old coach and just said, Hey, I really have a passion, how could I be a part of building this program up and growing it? 

[00:06:28] And then unfortunately, a really close club coach friend of ours who was coaching at Stevenson at the time, Mike Woodie, passed away very unexpectedly and he was very close to all of us.

[00:07:24] So, I was commuting about 120 miles a day to take those freshmen through their senior year.

[00:08:34] There's a repeating theory here, I'm going to stop.

[00:11:22] The first thing I learned as a coach was everyone's not the same. They don't learn the same. They're not motivated the same. They don't think the same.

[00:11:59] I was pretty scoreboard focused.

[00:12:48] As I progressed, both in age and experience, I really learned that, and as jumping into a head coach, I learned there's so much more to the game.

[00:14:18] I've learned that because of how involved parents are, I think more so now, that, you have to find creative ways to implement them into your culture and your program.

[00:16:18] And ultimately, as you said, we're here to serve the kids.

[00:17:30] Before that parent comes in, I will give them a list and say these are the things that I want you to watch during practice, and I want you to take mental notes. 

[00:21:23] I didn't understand culture.

[00:21:42] I think delegation is really hard when you've always been kind of a go getter, do it yourself, I got this, kind of a person.

[00:22:32] I think as a young leader, I had a tendency to tell people what I want them to do.

[00:23:38] Empowering my assistants is very important in making sure that those athletes know how much trust and respect and love I have for those coaches is extremely important.

[00:23:58] Don't repeat yourself…just say it quietly.

[00:25:47] I really moved away from assigning captains to earning captains.

[00:29:57] Lot of friction because I think a lot of AAU programs, and it's not all, but a lot of AAU programs, are not making it about the kids. 

[00:30:18] You'll also find a lot of really, really good club directors who understand it, who get it, who do it the right way.

[00:30:40] I've always been in schools where I have maybe one or two kids that pick up a basketball outside of basketball season. 

[00:31:18] I think that's just saying, look, when you're with them, you're with them. But when you're with us, you're with us and this is how we do it here.

[00:33:55] I think it's also okay to form relationships with those coaches. I mean, I think it's the only way we can ultimately have success for young athletes is that we have to create partnerships.

[00:35:27] I kind of figured out who I was, who I wanted to be and the culture that I wanted to create.

[00:36:20] If you're disciplined, you don't have to be asked to do something.

[00:37:31] He calls, his players, his living trophies. 

[00:38:15] I believe you should always leave the place better than you found it.

[00:40:43] At the beginning of practice every day is we'll just have everybody come in, circle it up.

[00:41:13] We come in and we all put our thumbs up, and then we go, okay, now, where are we?

[00:42:13] I am also showing my vulnerability as a coach.

[00:46:00] Let the scoreboard be a byproduct of the work that you do.

[00:46:15] Don't be afraid to overcommunicate.

[00:46:22] You have to have balance.

[00:46:41] I think some years I've ended up paid paying myself to coach, because of gas.

[00:47:54] I play music in the gym.

[00:48:26] I need to put as much value and time into my relationships at home with my husband and my kids that I do with other people's kids.

[00:49:39] When I get a kid that has good foot work, I'm like, okay, who taught you this? Call them and tell them, thank you.

[00:50:09] I teach every player every skillset.

[00:52:05] Run a high school clinic and teach the parents the skillsets that you want to teach the kids.