The Newcomers

As a coaching staff, we are always eager to view the product of our recruiting efforts. It is actually very frightening to spend hours driving, watching games, evaluating talent, talking on the phone, and hosting campus visits to eventually sign a player on paper who we still truly don't know. Some coaches refer to recruiting like Forrest Gump's statement about opening a box of chocolates. You truly don't know what you get until you open the box or in our case until you get the recruits on campus.

This year we were thrilled when we "opened" our recruiting package. The first visible sign from our recruits was heart. Oh, how the coaching staff loves heart. On the first day of school when we began our challenges, we had a young lady, Caress Williams, who had just signed with us three weeks before school started. She did not have the opportunity to receive our workout packages over the summer, so she just had to gut it out. And gut it out she did! When we did our challenges, we thought about giving her a break and having her do a little less than the rest of the team, but Caress believed in achieving everything her teammates did. The most awesome part was watching her muscles quiver from exhaustion yet pushing through her pain to make the challenges. We knew then she was a winner.

Our next recruit, Julianne Smith, a 6'0" transfer athlete, brings with her a determination which is absolutely incredible. She is so passionate about bringing her best to the table that she spends extra time every day training. We often pass her going to the fitness center or see her in the gym working on her shooting skills. When we asked her to change her foot work on her shot, she changed it within 24 hours. Her determination to succeed is contagious.

The freshmen class brings with it three young players who love the sport of basketball. Lisanne, a Canadian, is one of the few student-athletes we've ever coached who understands how to work on her own with full intensity in game speed placing herself in pressure scenarios. Quite frankly, her focus in individual workouts is amazing. Our other two freshmen, Lakin Horner and Dania Crump, have one thing in common: they are walk-ons. What makes them special is that they do everything every other player does without receiving any scholarship dollars. Most walk-ons quit within the first two weeks of our preseason when they understand how difficult it is. Not only have these two survived the preseason, they have continued to push themselves to higher levels of strength and conditioning.

Our newcomers have surprised us in many ways. When we have uncovered their layers, we have been pleased with what we have discovered. They have brought with them the intangibles that the coaching staff believes are what separates the good from the great: heart, passion, work ethic, determination, and love for the game. When we "opened" this box of recruits, we were thrilled with what we got!

To all the newcomers: IHHOAGE!