Coach Aston spoke at a conference addressing keeping youth engaged in sports: Aston was a longtime assistant under Hall of Famer Jody Conradt. Six players from their 2003 Final Four team are now coaching, including her current assistant Jamie Carey. Aston is, in a couple of words, tough minded. Her kids know it. Her coaches know and yep, so does the media. But it doesn’t mean she loses sight of what is important in her profession. She is a product and practitioner of mentorship and believes relationships are what make sports such a powerful influence in the lives of young people. After Big 12 player of the year Brooke McCarty missed a three-pointer at the buzzer that would have forced overtime against archrival Baylor this past season, Aston, the fiercest of competitors, didn’t scream or throw up her hands in disgust. She laughed. She learned long ago that players are always watching their coaches. “Had I reacted differently, I don’t know what the rest of the year and what the rest of that child’s year would have been like,” Aston said. “I had a lot of people tell me that that was a surprising reaction. That’s the leadership part that you have to learn as a coach. I’m a work in progress at all times.” http://www.hookem.com/columns/golden-texas-coach-former-athletes-seek-keep-youth-engaged-sports/
Yes, and the irony was that it was on the same court as another coach who would have: 1) blamed the refs 2) blamed her players 3) had a fit and thrown everyone under the bus in the post-game new conference
A great coach, in my opinion, knows how to be both a fierce competitor and a good human being with perspective on the big picture. Mack’s post-game speech to the team after winning the 2005 title — “don’t let this be the best thing that happens in your life” — was a great example.
