Full Great Women Great Danes Interview Transcript
UAlbany's Great Women Great Danes is a new series that will be published during Women's History Month. The series will feature Great Danes, past and present, and celebrate the women of UAlbany.
Q: Can you tell me about your time as a student athlete in college at Ashland?
A: Yeah - Ashland was great … very small school. It's a university now but it was a college - probably had about 2800 students total. Athletics there were huge; there were so many sports, especially for women. They really started getting good at that time, and they’re excellent still today in women's basketball. I would say that it was a great experience for me. I also played like three sports, which you don't see anymore in college. We were not at the NCAA Division I, II, or III level, we were AIAW. At the time, there was no NCAA for women … Then the NCAA came in my sophomore year and we became NCAA Division II. But, during AIAW we were called AIAW Small School so we played Ohio State, Michigan State … we played all kinds of schools because it didn't really matter because everybody was AIAW. The championships were Small School and Large School, so it was an interesting system but it was a great system and it was a program just for women. Then, it became the NCAA and that gave more funding for women's sports to be able to grow to what they are today.
Q: What were the sports that you played?
A: I played basketball, I did track and field, I did softball for one year … It was crazy, I was pledging sorority so I did track and field so I could get away from campus, which was really kinda funny, but I ended up enjoying it and I actually did it for a couple of years.
Q: So, you got your coaching start at SUNY Delhi?
A: I actually started off as a grad assistant at Ashland. The first graduate assistant they ever had - kinda just gave me a position. From there, I got a head coaching job for a junior college in upstate New York, SUNY Delhi and I coached field hockey, basketball and softball.
Q: And while you were at SUNY Delhi, you were the first black head coach in school history?
A: I believe I was, especially on the women's side. Delhi is a very small town, and SUNY Delhi was a two-year school at the time, it’s a four-year school now in Division III. It was an interesting school because they had programs for kids who didn’t really want to go to college … kids could get an academic degree and could play basketball and they could major in construction, hotel management, things like that, and continue to get jobs right off of their two years at SUNY Delhi. So, it was a great situation for a lot of kids. I had the first … the only female that was in plumbing, heating, and refrigeration and today she still has her own business in plumbing, heating, and refrigeration and I’m pretty proud of that kid.
Q: That is…that is very interesting … that’s actually really cool. Your field hockey team also went to the postseason and you had an All-American?
A: I did, we had the regionals then the NJCAA. I had an All-American on that team who went on to continue her career at UConn. And she was a very good player. Field hockey … it was so much fun because it was the sports that I played, so I understood those sports very well. I had all three of my sports going year round all the time because in junior college, with the rules at that time, you could do that. So, in the fall I would have field hockey practice at three, I'd have basketball practice at 6:00 AM and then I would have my pitchers and my catchers come in in the evening and have them work. This was something we did year round, so it was pretty cool. I also recruited kids who could play all three sports. And if you know anything about Delhi, New York, it's in an area in the mountains where there's a lot of small schools and villages, and these kids play all three sports. So, it was really easy to recruit those kids to be able to come in and actually help build those programs.
Q: So if we back it up a little bit, what made you get to SUNY Delhi?
A: Well, when I became a graduate assistant for women's basketball they didn't have as many staffers as they do now. So, I was a graduate assistant, but I was a coach - pretty much full time even as a GA. I did a lot of things and I had a lot of responsibilities with recruiting and everything, and my head coach, who I played for actually, allowed me to grow and kind of build my own system there and go with it. She taught me a lot about the game. And then, Delhi was the kind of situation where you could build your own programs as well. And I just think that the ability to recruit kids to play all three [sports] was awesome.
Q: Can you bring me through your coaching journey after Delhi?
A: Yes. I finished at Delhi, and then I came here to the University at Albany. At the time, we were Division III and I was here for 15 years. We went from Division III to Division II to Division I. I left after 15 years here at UAlbany and I went to Yale University, which was awesome. If you ever have a chance to do any coaching in the ancient eight, in the Ivy League, it's definitely worth it. It's an experience. You get to meet a lot of great people and it was awesome. So … some two years at Yale. From there, I went to Boston College for four years and worked for the late, great coach Cathy Inglese. We had an opportunity to go to the Sweet 16, be ranked in the top 20 in the nation … had some opportunities to play for championships and it was awesome. From Boston College, I went to University of Denver for four years. I had a great time in Denver. Denver's a beautiful place. We actually competed in the Sun Belt Conference - which was interesting considering we were in Denver, Colorado. From there, I went back to Boston College and coached for six years and then came back here to the University at Albany. Not many people could say their coaching careers took them to the same institution twice, but for some reason, I'm blessed and this is what happened. And I'm really thankful for where I am right now.
Q: When you were at Boston College, you had a Sweet 16 appearance, you went to the WNIT quarterfinals, you recruited the ACC Freshman of the Year and three-time All-ACC Center who played in the WNBA. Can you just bring me through those accomplishments?
A: Yeah … Boston College … like I said, I worked for the great Cathy Inglese; she really had that program going. When I got there, we had just finished playing our last year in the Big East and they were moving to the ACC. While I was there, we pretty much competed in the ACC for those three years. It was a challenge, it definitely was, but it was great. It was awesome, the challenge. Boston College women's basketball and UConn women's basketball used to have serious battles in the Big East. They were amazing, amazing battles, and no matter where UConn was always ranked, BC was right there stepping on their toes, getting ready to beat them, and the games were just sold out every time you played - home or away. It was a tremendous opportunity to be a part of that, at least for one year, as well. Recruiting … Carolyn Swords is her name … she's a 6-6 center, left-handed local from Massachusetts … came to Boston College and did a tremendous job. She was the rookie of the year. She did get drafted - WNBA - and played for a couple of teams. She has retired since. On that team, as a freshman, we started four freshmen. We went to the NIT and one was a rookie of the year, which was actually Stephanie [Murphy], and Carolyn Swords … So, you had a 6-6 and a 6-4 post-player dual inside as freshmen, which was … you don't see that anywhere in the country. And those kids played amazing together. Carolyn Swords had a tremendous career in the WNBA … she has retired. They just retired her jersey at BC. So, now she's forever in the rafters at Boston College, which really pleases her.
Q: That’s incredible. And then, you go on to University of Denver ??and you are part of the coaching staff that led to their first win over a nationally ranked team. Can you remember … do you remember that feeling? Can you bring us through that moment?
A: Yeah, absolutely. That year we played … we always played University of Colorado. I mean, it's like 35-40 minutes away and they were always really, really good. And it was really funny playing Colorado ‘cause they were ranked and they were good. And, then one year, we played and beat Minnesota at home and we beat Vanderbilt at home, who was ranked at the time, and we beat Colorado at Colorado in one season. That season was magical. It was amazing to be able to beat those ranked teams on our court. You know what's really a challenge is if you're from Nashville, Tennessee and you're from Minneapolis, Minnesota, coming to altitude is not the easiest thing in the world to play against anyone. So, to be able to come in there and us being able to beat them was amazing. I actually think it helped put Denver on the map.
Q: And then you returned to Boston College as the Associate Head Coach and you were part of the coaching staff that got the program record for three pointers in a single season. Is that something that you remember?
A: Yes - that was great. You know what's weird? We had a couple of kids that year that could really light it up. One of 'em was a freshman we recruited. She was from down near Philadelphia - the Jersey, Philadelphia border. Her name is Kelly Hughes and that kid could shoot it from half court. She was kind of like a Caitlyn Clark before Caitlin Clark. And if you never guarded her, you can forget it, you know? She was like 5-11, so she wasn't a small guard … she was a big guard. Then [we had] another guard, who was a little more craftier coming off screens, shooting threes, and shooting behind screens. And we ran an offense that created opportunities for these kids to get really good three-point shots. I thought that offense was perfect for those kids. We had a really good inside-out game, which allowed us to shoot more threes and make more threes.
Q: Now you're back at UAlbany and you were one of Colleen Mullen’s first hires. What made you want to come back?
A: Colleen Mullen. I've known Colleen … I mean, she almost came to work with us at Boston College. I was leaving Boston College and I was looking … I had interviewed at a few other places, and then Colleen called me and she says, ‘Hawk, if I get the University at Albany job, will you come with me? Help me build this [program] again?’ I was like, absolutely no problem. And if you know Colleen, you know that she's a winner. She works really, really, really hard. She does it the right way. Her kids are always bought in. They're not just great on the court. They're great off the court. They're great students. They're great people. They're great in the community. And, it was a no-brainer on my part.
Those kids are invested in what they're doing and being proud of the University at Albany and making sure everybody knows that University at Albany is a great place and a great option to go to school. So, we're really proud of them.
Q: While you were at BC, you were a team scout for the WNBA Detroit Shock. What was that like?
A: That was interesting ‘cause I actually scouted for Bill Laimbeer. And if anybody remembers Bill Laimbeer as a player, when he played for the Detroit Pistons, he was a bad boy. They had the image of bad boys, and he would follow you, he would follow you hard. So Bill Laimbeer, he was, he was an interesting fellow, but he was great. He was great off the court. He asked me, through another person, if, because I was in Boston, I would do scouting for the Detroit Shock on teams that came to the Connecticut Sun. And I was like, absolutely. So, I would go and my main job with scouting was to get play calls - this offense is called this, this offense is called this, this defense is called - so I would have all these play calls. It was really cool because they gave you a press pass and I was sitting right in the front row so I could hear everything. I could see everything. So, I did all the scouting for ‘em and everything. And then, they were coming to play Connecticut and he asked me if I wanted to come to practice. I'm like, sure. I came to practice. I was watching them do their shoot around the day of the game. And he said, coach, I want you to present this scout to my team. And I was like, sure, no problem. So, I just go out there, I tell 'em what I saw, I show 'em the plays, I go through it. I tell 'em how I would defend it. I don't know how they're going to defend it, but I talked about, well, I think, this would be a good way to defend this. This is what you have to do with this kid with tendencies and stuff. That was a really good experience. Then, that year, the final four, the next year was in Boston and, I was at BC and we actually went to the Sweet 16 and we were playing in New Mexico and we were playing Utah. We lost by three. And if we had won, we would've ended up playing Maryland to see who went to the Final Four in Boston. So, we were two steps away, three points away from going to the Elite Eight. I'll never forget that because that Final Four in Boston and there were three ACC teams. It was Maryland, it was Duke and it was North Carolina and Maryland won their first championship in Boston. It could have been Boston College playing in the championship in Boston, which would've been really exciting.
Q: Do you know off the top of your head, how many years you've been coaching basketball?
A: Oh man. Including being a graduate assistant over 25 ... I mean, it's a lot of years. It's closer to 30. Let me see if I can add real quick for you. Yeah … It's probably over 35 years and most of that in Division I basketball.
Q: 1984 to 2023 … 39 years. That's a long time ... 38 seasons.
A: Yeah. That's a long time.
Q: So, after your GA position, did you kind of just fall into coaching after that, or did you go out of your way to be a basketball coach?
A: Yeah, at that point I wanted to coach basketball, definitely basketball. I played other sports, but definitely basketball is my number one sport. I was working a camp in Wisconsin at the time, the University of Wisconsin … a recruiting camp. They used to have these recruiting camps. I had just finished my career and was working a camp, to make some money. I had no idea what I was gonna do next. And then … I'm sorry, let me backtrack. I was at Ashland, I just finished off my GA position. I was looking for wherever I was gonna coach. And I'm working a camp in Wisconsin and the head coach at Wisconsin, her name was Edwina Qualls, said I just got a call from Tara VanDerveer at Stanford and she's looking for an assistant coach, should I put your name in? I was like, absolutely. Because, I could remember meeting Tara when she was at Ohio State and I was at Ashland and I used to play summer league with some of her players from Ohio State. I spent a lot of time in Columbus in the summer, playing in the summer leagues so I got a chance to work Tara's camps. I talked to Tara and she said, Yvonne, I love you, I love what you do, but I'm gonna hire someone with more experience, but if you're interested in staying in coaching, I will put your name out there. I was like, thank you, I appreciate that. Next thing I know … the next day I got a phone call from the athletic director of Delhi Tech about his women's basketball job primarily, but it involved coaching field hockey and softball as well, and he said, I noticed you've played all those sports. Is this something you'd be interested in? I was like, sure. So, I pretty much interviewed on the phone when I was working at camp. He interviewed me again on the phone, I talked to other coaches from Delhi, and he hired me from a phone interview. Next thing I know, I'm getting a U-Haul and I'm throwing everything I own in it, and I'm driving to Delhi, New York trying to find a place to live in. It was a very cool story because Delhi's very small and it's a small community, but the people are awesome. When I got there, I didn't have a place to live so my AD called this guy who owned an apartment building and that day I had an apartment. I didn't have a car so we called the car dealership and the bank … I went to the bank, I got the loan, and that same day I got a car and I'm like, I don't even know these people. They got me a car and a place to live. This is great! The people there just made my experience at Delhi amazing. It was just an amazing community.
Q: How did the women around you help you become the coach and person you are today?
A: First it would start with my mother. You know, she always instilled: you can do anything you wanna do, be the best at whatever you choose to do. It was about respect. She taught you how to respect others so others would respect you. It started with her and then it went from there to my high school coach who actually helped me get into Ashland. I didn't know anything about college. I was a first generation kid to go to college, and she got me into Ashland. Then my coach that recruited me to Ashland when I first got there left and became the head coach at Purdue University so I had a new coach. I had three coaches in four years, and in some way, all of those women helped mold me into wanting to be a coach and to move into this as a profession. From there, I just met great person after great person after great person and some names of some people who are no longer with us, but who are unbelievable pioneers in the sport of women's basketball and I had the chance to meet these women. I had a chance to talk to these women and understand their philosophies. It wasn't just about philosophies of Xs and Os of basketball, there were philosophies of life, being a person and how to relate to kids on these teams. And I think I took all that in stride with my personality. I think one of the things I do very well is relate to these kids on these teams. No matter how old, I'm a lot older than these kids, but we relate. We get along, and, you know, I like it when they ask me advice. They move on and they graduate and they get into their jobs and their marriages and babies and all this stuff, promotions, and they call you and they let you know, Coach Hawk, this is what's happening … Coach Hawk, I'm getting married, I want you to come to my wedding … Coach Hawk, I'm getting married, will you perform the ceremony? I mean, stuff like that - it's an honor, it's a privilege. Knowing that you just have a little small piece of what's going on in their lives is amazing. I just think the people I met who molded me in my life to keep doing this, and what I've gone on doing is I try to mentor and mold others the way I was. So, if I'm on the road recruiting and I see a young coach and they're sitting at the game, I'm going to introduce myself to them. I'll give 'em my business card and say, Hey, if you ever need anything, gimme a call, reach out. And I just think that's the way it should be in our profession. I'll tell you a quick story about Pat Summitt. I was working at Yale and I was recruiting at this tournament, and I'm sitting in the chair at the court. Pat Summitt comes and she sits next to me. Well - wherever Pat Summit went, a crowd of people went. So, she's sitting next to me and these photographers are just taking her picture. Kids are coming over asking for autographs and stuff. They have to have security get people away. She goes, coach, these photographers are annoying me … they followed me from the parking lot. I can't even do my job. And then, another photographer from a local newspaper in Indianapolis comes over and says, coach, can I take your picture? She looks at me and she goes, coach, you wanna be in this picture with me? Absolutely. I put my arm around her front page of the newspaper right there in Indianapolis, me with my little Yale shirt on and Pat Summit … you know, the Almighty Pat Summitt. And I think if Pat Summitt can do that for a young coach why can't I or anyone else. And I think that's special too, about women's basketball.
Q: You kind of covered this in your last answer, but what does it mean to you and how does it feel that young women and girls might look up to you because of your success within the coaching atmosphere?
A: I think it's great. I think the platform for young girls right now … they have a huge platform, nothing that I had when I was their age. I think that there's a lot available for them and if they really want it, they just have to go out there and grab it and get after it because it's available. It wasn't always available when I was young. You had to actually find it - when you had to get into the right mode with the right people to get there. There weren't as many opportunities for girls and women at the time, and now it's endless. You know, it's funny, I heard a little boy the other day say, who's the first woman president? And his mom said there hasn't been one. And he goes, well, that's just wrong. He's five years old. So, he sees it as well. The opportunities for women are endless right now. The opportunities for these girls to go out there, and be great is amazing. That LSU South Carolina basketball game on a Sunday afternoon had 20,000 people there. Come on … look at where it's come. It still has to grow. But, I think me having a little piece of that, helping these kids to help that continue to grow is huge.
Q: What does women's history month mean to you?
A: There're so many tremendous pioneers in … let's just talk about women's basketball out there that a lot of these kids just don't know about. I try to help educate them on historical things, whether it be black history month, women's history month anything. And I think just having these conversations with these kids helps them grow. But I think for women's history month, they have to know that there are people who came before them who laid the path for them to be able to do this. And there's gonna be people who come after them that they're gonna lay the path for, and it's a cycle and it should keep going. It's just gonna make it better for women all over. And I just think that these kids really understand that.
For more interviews from the Women's History Month #GreatWomenGreatDanes series, click here.
