"Remembering how I felt in high school as a player helped me relate to coaching my first team back then. As the years have gone on, I try to continue to make sure that my players understand that I owe it to them to give my best each day, so they can be their best. Once they understand that, the trust is built, because we all understand that everyone is pulling in the same direction. Games get heated and our competitive juices are running high, but the daily communication with everyone understanding that they are being pushed because I care allows me to have almost unbreakable relationships long after the ball is put away. That doesn't happen unless the players are told and shown on a daily basis what the purpose is behind everything being done." - Brian Robinson

"I love the defensive side of the game. I think in defense. When I’m watching film of an opponent, I’m always trying to figure out how to stop them. I love to teach it and love to get players/teams to buy into it." - Carla Berube

"What comes easily to me is motivating my players and helping them see themselves through my eyes and not their own. I do this by building strong relationships of trust with them that allows me to tear down walls they may have built up over time. In return I’m able to show them that I empathize with them and understand their feelings on a deeper level than they’ve experienced with others. At that point, I’m able to speak with them candidly about their shortcoming and give them critiques in a way they can handle and want to eagerly change themselves." - DeLisha Milton-Jones

"I’m a new coach, so I don’t know that I am great at anything yet. But, I would say a strength of mine initially is communicating. I think it is easy for me to formulate a thought, formulate an opinion and be able to explain that succinctly to the players. I think just the combination of the experiences that I’ve had – that I was them for a long time in the WNBA. So, understanding what that feels like, having that experience of being a player and being in the situations that they are in practices and in games and then the ability to communicate that quickly. And I think that is one of the most important skills a coach can have, because a lot of times you don’t have a lot of time to give them the message, whether it is yelling something at them maybe during a free throw or in a timeout when they come over or during a practice, maybe when they are on the run. You have to be able to communicate messages to them clearly and quickly." - Kara Lawson

"I am curious, serious, and I see a lot of value in small steps towards big goals. I am a huge reader and someone that always has a question or problem I am trying to solve in my mind. That is a blessing and a curse. I am also very serious. I don’t put my mind to a ton of things, but when I do I am finishing it. Lastly, I see value in consistency and everyday small steps and how those small steps accumulate into big wins." - Matt King

"I believe if you build a strong, positive relationship with any age kid, you can help make a difference in their athletic career and their everyday life. That’s the reason we all do this, to help kids for the rest of their lives." - Ras Vanderloo

"Emphasizing the importance of forming relationships, development of fundamentals, including building basketball IQ, and connecting life lessons though the game are the key components of my coaching style." - Heather Stewart