Vince D’Adamo: What is the No. 1 thing that keeps you coming back to coaching every season?
Darci Lewis Ward: Absolutely the No. 1 thing that keeps me coming back and coaching is the relationship that I develop with the players. I think that if the quality relationships were not there and I did not feel a connection to the players, I would not continue coaching. I love that I keep in touch with my former players. I feel blessed that many return to help out in the program and want to become coaches themselves. It is wonderful to watch former players mature into strong, independent women.
D’Adamo: Though you have been the girls basketball head coach for over a decade, what was your vision at the time for the program based on what you wanted it to become?
Ward: To be honest, when I first started coaching I didn't really have a true vision. I was very young and unsure about everything that we were doing. I feel that about five years in is when I truly started to understand what it meant to be running a basketball program and knowing what direction I was hoping that the program would head. The vision is to have a program that cultivates and encourages young women to be strong, independent, focused and know how to work for what they want to achieve in life.
D’Adamo: You hear the term "culture" being uttered in sports, what does that term mean to you and your program?
Ward: I think that "culture" might be one of the most important things that a program can have. If you have talent, but do not have a hard working culture within your team, it is pointless. If you have a team that works together as a family, supports one another through the difficult times and knows how to always play hard then you have developed a "culture" within your program. It does not matter how much talent you have if you working as a unit and learning these lessons that will help in their future lives. I feel (and of course HOPE) that the girls in our program would be able to define the importance of our team culture and would mention all of these qualities.
D’Adamo: Besides the Xs and Os of coaching, how important is it to be able to relate to youngsters as people?
Ward: If you do not relate to youngsters as people, they will not buy into the program and will not play as hard for you. Relationships are huge for the success of a program. My best teams and most enjoyable years have been when I have been able to really develop rapport with the players.
D’Adamo: Beyond athletics, what do you most hope that any youngster gets from being a student-athlete in your program?
Ward: I hope that they learn how to be leaders, work within a team, learn to believe in themselves and learn to dream a little for their goals. Of course I want them to have all of the typical sport skills such as time management, commitment and sacrifice as well.
D’Adamo: Within your family who have been the most influential people?
Ward: Within my family, I would have to say that everyone has been extremely influential and I cannot pick just one. My dad was a coach for 30 years and I grew up in that environment. He has always been extremely supportive of me and taught me so much about the game. My mom taught me how to be independent and strong, always pushing me out of my comfort zone. She taught by example and I also learned about how to develop and keep relationships. My sister Michelle has coached with me for almost my entire tenure and always challenges me to be a better coach and person. My other sister Jessica taught me what it meant to be competitive from a young age and how important it was to always support family. My husband Ted has encouraged and allowed me to keep coaching. He has shown me how important it is to sacrifice and compromise for our family. I am the luckiest woman to have all of these wonderful people in my life.
D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet and what would intrigue you about meeting that person.
Ward: I would love to meet Pat Summitt. I have always looked up to her as a female powerhouse coach and have deeply admired what she accomplished. I have read all of her books and loved watching her teams play. Her intensity as a coach is something that can be intimidating, but obviously had a huge and positive impact on those around her.
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