Winning Hearts

During a preseason practice, one of Wichita State’s guards fired up a slightly off-balance three-pointer from well beyond the arc. The result was predictable.

Airball.

What happened next wasn’t so expected. Jane Albright, the newly hired women’s team coach, didn’t shout at the player for the questionable shot. Albright didn’t shake her head or roll her eyes. Instead, the veteran coach yelled encouragement. “That’s OK, that’s OK. So you miss a shot? No big deal. Play defense, play defense! Let’s go!”

Dressed Shocker-style in a yellow sweatshirt and black wind pants, Albright spent much of the late-October workout at WSU’s practice facility offering similar feel-good advice to her players.

It was all part of her early-season plan to create a much-needed positive climate around the fragile Shockers, who collapsed late last season and stumbled to a disappointing 14-14 finish.

Worse than the mediocre record was the infighting and public squabbling by several teammates. After Albright took over in April, she immediately set out to repair any damage.

She started with the off-court matters, which included teammates criticizing each other with pointed comments in the media. “I addressed it and told them to figure it out,” she says. “I didn’t need to know all the dirt or about all the skeletons in the closets. People make mistakes and it’s time to forgive and go on. I told them if they did not go on, they wouldn’t be part of the program. In my life, when I’ve made mistakes and gotten a second chance, it’s kind of like a breath of fresh air.”

Fresh air — that’s exactly what Albright, a successful coach at Northern Illinois and Wisconsin, seems to have brought to the Shocker program. “I’m just trying to create an atmosphere where everyone can succeed,” she says, “where everyone feels comfortable with me and with one another.”

Center Angela Buckner, Wichita State’s top player and a senior captain known for speaking her mind, has taken quickly to Albright’s style. “She’s a teacher,” Buckner says. “It’s like she wants you to make mistakes sometimes so she can teach you and make you better.”

However, resist the temptation to think that the 48-year-old Albright is a pushover or a softie. “I’ll get after ’em when I need to,” she says. “Down the line, the people who make the fewest mistakes will play. Hey, I’m not here to be a sorority mom. I’m wanting to win games.”

Albright arrived at Wichita State with a fine reputation and an impressive résumé. She started her head-coaching career at Northern Illinois, guiding that program to five 20-win seasons and four NCAA tournament appearances.

At Wisconsin, she took over a team that had endured losing seasons in nine of the previous 10 years and quickly revived the Badgers’ program. From 1994-2003, she was 82-62 with five NCAA tournament berths. She resigned after Wisconsin did not renew her contract following a 7-21 season, her first losing mark since the 1986-87 season.

Wichita State Athletic Director Jim Schaus was clearly thrilled that Albright was available. The two met when Schaus was an assistant AD at Northern Illinois.

“Jane Albright is one of the finest coaches in college basketball,” Schaus said at the time of hire. His admiration comes not only from her success on the court (349-217 record) but also her proven ability to produce true student athletes. At Wisconsin, she coached 35 All-Big 10 academic honorees, the most in the conference.

Albright says that any player who doesn’t leave WSU with a degree has wasted her time: “Basketball is a way to get a degree. LeBron James is making $100 million, but a WNBA player makes $45 thousand in one season and it could fold at any minute. These players are gonna spend the rest of their lives doing something besides playing basketball, and they need to be ready for that.”

Albright has a record of revitalizing basketball programs, but massive rebuilding isn’t necessary at WSU, which returns five seniors and its top two scorers. “Certainly, (former coach) Darryl (Smith) left a lot of talent here,” she says. “I like our quickness and speed, and our athleticism.”

Buckner, a 6-foot-2 post player from Wichita’s Kapaun Mount Carmel High School, is a solid player to build around. A two-time All-MVC selection, she needs only 21 rebounds to become just the third woman in MVC/Gateway Conference history to score 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds.

“Angela is what college athletics are all about,” Albright says. “She’s very intelligent. She just loves to rebound, and that helps any team win.”

Carlesa Dennis (formerly Dixon), a 6-foot senior forward, led WSU in scoring last year. Albright describes her as a “gifted athlete. She has one of the quickest first steps of any athlete I have ever been associated with.”

Senior point guard Tisharria Huggins is a threat from long distance, having made 51 3-pointers last season. “She’s a very nice point guard,” Albright says. “She’s got quickness and a knack for being in the right place at the right time.”

Another player to watch is senior forward April Banks, a defensive stopper who led the team with 72 steals to go along with 8.7 points per game. “The thing I like most about this team is that they’re enthusiastic,” Albright says. “They want to learn. You know, coaches are teachers. I love teaching and this team seems to love learning.”

Albright’s top assistant is Erika Lang-Montgomery, who worked with Albright for three seasons at Wisconsin. Albright says she’s a “classy person” with a great deal of knowledge about basketball.

Other assistants are Kristen Holt, who has eight years of coaching experience at the Division I level, and Paula Williams, who has six years of experience as a player, student assistant and graduate assistant.

When Albright was hired, WSU Sports Information provided quotes to the media from some of the nation’s top coaches. Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, for instance, called her a “tremendous recruiter” and an “excellent communicator.” But the kindest words came from Schaus: “The greatest compliment I can say about Jane is she is one of the best people I have ever known. Success will be her shadow at Wichita State. Her greatest attribute is she knows how to win your heart.” Even for a press release, that’s high praise.

“I don’t know what to say about that,” Albright says, “I’m just Jane Albright. I’ve got a servant’s heart, I’m a Christian and I just try to treat people like they’re supposed to be treated. I’ve been fortunate in my life to have had a lot of great opportunities, and coming to WSU is definitely another one.”