Legette-Jack coaches by example

It’s not abnormal to see IU women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack anywhere and everywhere around IU’s campus.

She’s not hard to miss, decked out in red or white and giving as many high-fives as possible.

“We get excited about being in the gym, and we get excited about representing Indiana University and our women’s basketball program,” Legette-Jack said. “We do not make a secret of that.”

That might explain why the coach rarely misses an event or opportunity where the student body will be present. Every occasion is another chance for her to spread the word about her passion for the women’s basketball program.

Senior guard Andrea McGuirt has seen Legette-Jack’s excitement in many different ways. No matter where she is or what she’s doing, her energy and passion are always there, McGuirt said.

Legette-Jack is not the average coach, players say. The emotion and motivation she brings to her team has helped them to work harder.  

Although junior forward Georgie Jones transferred midseason last year, she has quickly picked up on how influential Legette-Jack can be.

“She motivated me even more to play,” Jones said. “She is one of those coaches that you want to do so well for and play so hard for her.”

The motivation and passion the players talk about are a reflection of the way Legette-Jack grew up.

Legette-Jack said her family had to earn what they needed. She said she was not the most naturally talented person on her basketball teams, so she had to outwork the rest of her teammates to have a role.

]“That just became my mantra, to outwork people,” Legette-Jack said, “and that is something I talk about as a coach now.”

Legette-Jack said she expects more out of her players than even they know they have.
Freshman center Simone Deloach said she has learned what her coach expects in the short time she has been at IU.

“To be at this level, you need to be pushed past your limits,” Deloach said. “She gets that out of all of us.”

Energy and passion are integral parts of IU’s practices, games and daily life. Legette-Jack said she has instilled that in them.

“Every day, we try to go out and represent something bigger than ourselves, and it’s the passion behind that that becomes real great,” she said.