| Coach for a day BY MIKE UNGER 
Photo by Jeff Watts
Interim Provost Ivy Broder gets right into the action while serving as a guest coach during the women's basketball game against Navy last month. Things were looking bleak for the AU women’s basketball team on this winter afternoon. Thirty-three hours before the book closed on 2006, the Eagles were trailing visiting Drexel and desperately trying to claw their way back into the game. At least one person in Bender Arena remained steadfastly positive. From the AU bench, Coach Michael Weber yelled out words of encouragement. “You can come back!” he implored the players, most of whom he had met for the first time just two days earlier. At eight years old—“I’m turning nine next month, you can put nine,” he was quick to add—Michael was not your prototypical Division I women’s basketball assistant coach. On this Saturday, however, what he lacked in experience he more than made up for in enthusiasm. Michael and his brother Steven, six, joined Coach Melissa McFerrin’s staff for the afternoon as guest coaches, special participants in a program that allows members of the university community unfettered access to the women’s basketball program during home games. “It’s our way of trying to get the American women’s basketball name out on campus, and it’s our way of thanking the people on or around campus who assist what we do as a staff and as a basketball team,” said assistant coach Amanda Kammes, who has run the program since its inception last season. “The [players] enjoy it and get to see the people who help them out behind the scenes with things such as housing, admissions, meal plans, anything dealing with helping student-athletes in general.” Before the season Kammes sent out guest coaching invitations to about 20
people. Participants are invited to join the team for its pregame meal at either Chef Geoff’s or TDR, attend the shoot around, listen to strategy sessions in the locker room, and sit on the bench during the contest. “We formally introduce them to the team so the kids know and acknowledge them,” Kammes said. “They can poke their head into the huddle during timeouts. Basically they’re invited to be a part of our entire day. Everything we go through, they go through.”
Guest coaches this season have included Kevin Grasty, Jesse Lanier, and Lawrence Ward.
Grasty
Lanier
Ward
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Including all the emotional highs and lows that invariably are packed into a 40-minute game. Jesse Lanier, assistant director of budget and personnel in the Office of Development, was on the bench for AU’s Nov. 28 tussle against UMBC. “I played basketball in high school, but I’d never seen anything that detailed,” he said of McFerrin’s pregame talk to her players in the locker room. “All eyes were focused on that white board. The rah-rah talk came as part of the assignment rundown. Shoot this percentage from the field, get this many rebounds, box out. The whole experience was great because you have unrestricted access.” McFerrin’s words must have sunk in. Three Eagles scored in double figures in the hard fought 61-60 win over the Retrievers. “The girls were ecstatic,” Lanier said after the victory. “They worked hard; they did all their assignments; they had a right to be excited. [Sitting on the bench], it feels like you’re right in the middle of the action. You can reach out and touch the floor. You find yourself getting involved in it, and you wish you could suit up yourself.” Lawrence Ward still does. Kogod’s associate dean for academic programs plays in a men’s league and served as guest coach during the Dec. 2 game against Georgetown. “When you’re in the stands, there’s so much stimuli,” he said. “You watch the game, but you also could be talking to whoever’s sitting next to you, you’re looking at the cheerleaders. When you’re on the bench you’re focused exclusively on what’s happening on the court. I’m a huge fan of the game, so I tend to see little things, whether it’s boxing out or not being strong with a rebound. Little elements that in a tight game make the difference between winning and losing.” At halftime, Ward did what any good assistant coach would: he relayed his observations to McFerrin. “We were all sitting there, and Larry piped up and gave us his two cents,” Kammes recalled, chuckling. “The guest coaches are very much involved, whether we do what they say or not is obviously up to the discretion of our head coach. It’s meant to be a very welcoming, fun experience and environment.” AU ended up losing to the Hoyas, but the defeat did not dampen Ward’s outlook toward the team. “Being a part of that experience only increased my appreciation for the women’s game and for how hard a job it is to coach at this level,” he said. “I would encourage other members of the university community to support the women’s program. The women in particular really represent the true notion of a scholar-athlete. If any group of students are deserving of our time, I think it’s our women athletes.” It would be tough to find a more enthusiastic fan of the women’s team than Michael Weber, son of AU’s former executive director of Housing and Dining Programs, Julie Weber. A basketball lover in general, Michael was looking forward to a week filled with hoops during his winter break from third grade when a medical condition stepped in the way. “In mid-December Michael was diagnosed with diabetes,” said Julie Weber, now director of residential life and housing at New Mexico State University. “He was supposed to go to basketball camp, and he was so sad that he couldn’t. So I asked Melissa if there was any way Michael could come to practice.” On Dec. 28 and 29, Michael spent the day with the AU women’s team, relishing the chance to run one drill and participate in another. “Mikey is a great kid,” Kammes said. “The girls really enjoyed having him around. He was really excited to be on the court. Our kids generally do great with younger fans and having a young person in practice brought a little extra life and energy. It was a great experience for both sides. We were glad that we were able to do that for him.” Weber said it was a transforming experience for her son. “Melissa and her team were spectacular,” she said. “The first day he went to practice, he came back to my office and said, ‘You know what mom, I think I can give myself my own shot.’ I’m convinced that it’s because of the way they treated him.” McFerrin invited Michael and his younger brother back to serve as guest coach the next night, and the boys took full advantage of their seats on the court. “They both have crushes on one particular player on the team, so a lot of their time was spent lobbying Melissa to put this player in,” Julie Weber said. “When [the team mounted a comeback], Michael said, ‘Now you’re playing the way you’re supposed to.’” Despite all the positive reinforcement bursting forth from its 4-foot-three-inch-tall coach, the Eagles fell short, losing to Drexel 61-58. Still, Michael walked away impressed by his players’ efforts. “Playing basketball is a challenge,” he said. “I learned the team is really good.” |
