In movies about basketball, the coach delivers at least three soul-stirring speeches in the course of the big game: the pregame sermon, the halftime pick-me-up and the short, but powerful, pep talk during the last time-out.
So when I got the chance to shadow Lady Bulldog coach Sharon Fanning during Sunday’s regular season finale against Alabama, my expectations were high. After all, this is big time college basketball.
The game didn’t disappoint. The Lady Dawgs had a dramatic come-from-behind victory to finish even in the SEC. I got to sit in on all of the above situations, pen ready to record a spontaneous stump speech from Fanning.
But it never came. My idealized view of college basketball coaching is gone. It’s more like weathering a storm of activity.
And the head coach is at the eye of the storm. I met Fanning and guest coach Patsy Folkes an hour before the game. Fanning often brings in leaders in all sorts of fields to offer inspiration to the team.
I was assigned custody of a mysterious black briefcase because, well, someone had to carry it. Fanning is persuasive and quickly closes deals. And she had hands to shake and boosters to greet before warm-ups.
Advice to those who would shadow Fanning: wear comfortable shoes because she moves fast.
Also, make sure you keep track of anything she gives you. I did a poor job of the latter and several dozen boosters laughed when Fanning yelled, “Wilson, you’re not doing your job!”
For a moment, I felt a like one of her players, Unfortunately, I couldn’t redeem myself through rebounding and shooting the three.
As Fanning and company approached the Lady Bulldog locker room, DMX thumped loudly behind the door. Fanning paused for a moment and said, “Watch, they’ll cut it off right as a I enter.” Which is, of course, what happened. Gov. Haley Barbour cannot command attention so quickly.
In lieu of a pregame pep talk, Fanning talked about focus and reminded the girls “today is a day when we can even up the league.”
Don’t get the wrong impression: Fanning can be as charismatic as a Pentecostal preacher. She can sell a person on Lady Bulldog basketball in a way that would make a used car salesman jealous.
But Folkes, an MSU alumna, delivered the pep talk. It focused on the virtues of teamwork-something on which Folkes is an expert, given her position as regional director of MedPointe Pharmaceuticals.
Fanning’s demeanor with the team is businesslike, and properly so. These girls aren’t starry-eyed high schoolers playing for a 2A state championship. They’re savvy SEC ballers.
Players at this level don’t require a sermon. They just need to be told what defense they’re running and have constant reminders to “rebound!” In other words, just do what they do in practice.
And there’s the rub: what separates SEC-caliber athletics from everything else is the amazing amount of preparation by everybody from the head coach to the equipment manager. Even from my short experience, I got the impression that talking X’s and O’s with Fanning or her assistants is a conversation that could last for hours.
And, oh yeah, these girls are unreal athletes. This wasn’t my first time to watch a Lady Bulldog game, but watching from the bench only increased my appreciation for how fast everything happens. These girls could shame most any person on campus not named Lawrence Roberts or Timmy Bowers.
So I didn’t hear any inspirational speeches Sunday. That’s OK. Sometimes the best learning experiences don’t need a lecture.