UC Coach Has Been There, Done That
Golden Eagles battle Washburn tonight
March 23, 2005
By Jeff Rider
Staff writer, The Charleston Gazette
In preparation for the University of Charleston’s first appearance in the NCAA Divison II Elite Eight, coach Sherry Winn has instructed her club in more than just X’s and O’s.
A national champion in her own right, Winn has shared her knowledge of what it takes to succeed at the highest level.
"You have to understand, in 1993 I won a national championship [with Northern Montana] at the NAIA Division II level and at the time I don’t think I appreciated how hard it was to get there and the task that was at hand," Winn said.
Her UC squad meets No. 2 Washburn tonight in Hot Springs, Ark. "That was 1993 and here it is 2005 and this is the first time I’ve ever been close to that level again," she said. "And so, personally, I think I know how tough the task is at hand.
"Laura Kinsler said to me the other day, ‘Wow, coach, do you know if we win three games, we win the national championship?’ So yeah, I think they understand [what’s at stake]."
Charleston’s first task will be trying to solve the red-hot Lady Blues (32-2), who are riding a 16-game win streak. Tip-off is 7 p.m.
Washburn excels on both ends of the floor. The Lady Blues shoot the ball as well as any team in the tournament, ranking 10th nationally in field-goal percentage (46.5), and have 3-point shooters at multiple positions. Defensively, Washburn limits opponents to 52.5 points and a 35.1 field-goal percentage.
"It’s hard to find a weakness," Winn said of Washburn. "They can shoot the 3 well and they can get the ball inside well. They’re well-balanced on the offensive attack. They play great player-to-player defense. They’re a great team.
"We’re not going to be able to make a lot of mistakes. We can’t go into the game and make mistakes. We have to be at the top of our game, absolutely. But it’s not impossible. If we play at the top of our game, then we have a great opportunity to win. If we go out and turn the ball over too many times, we don’t have a shot."
After a loss to Glenville State in the West Virginia Conference tournament, Charleston returned to midseason form at the East Regional in Anderson, S.C. The Golden Eagles disposed of their three regional opponents by a combined 56 points.
"I don’t know. I think they’re still confident," said Winn. "They still have a lot of belief in themselves. But they also understand the task at hand. They understand that there are great teams here and that they’ve got to play really well."
The winner of today’s game will meet the winner of the Shaw-Central Arkansas quarterfinal at 8 p.m. Thursday. Shaw is the top-ranked team in D-II.
"I think we’re in the toughest half of the bracket, but once you get to this level, there are no easy games," said Winn. "The University of Charleston is a small, private institution. We’re going up against schools that have 7,500 students. When you have that many students, that also equates a lot of money.
"It’s just a guess, but I’d say we probably have the least amount of money in our athletic budget than anybody here. So we got here just through enthusiasm, hard work and determination and not a lot of the extras other teams are getting."
Having participated in a national tournament as a player, Winn understands the importance of maintaining your routine. She doesn’t want what can be an awe-inspiring environment to distract her club.
"I’ve always been the kind of coach who talks about ‘one game at a time’ and ‘one play at a time,’" she said. "We don’t really stray from that. We don’t try to make it any different from anything else. We stick to the principles that got us here. We try to play in the now.
"I really haven’t tried to make any changes because then the players start feeling different and then they start behaving different. We don’t want them to behave different. I want them to play like they’ve been playing."