2011 Program News

Coaches Have Q&A Session with Coach Tina Martin

Week two at the University of Delaware started off with a question and answer session with UD Women’s Basketball Head Coach Tina Martin.

Dr. Robinson started off the session asking Coach Martin question he had prepared, including what it was like and what her role is coaching in an educational environment. Throughout the session, Coach Martin said multiple times she expects her players to put family first, followed by academics, then basketball, and then their social life.

When Dr. Robinson turned the questions over to the coaches, many hands went up. The first one selected said he is a volunteer coach, and Coach Martin got up and gave him a hug, citing the difficulty of having a job, supporting a family and still finding time to coach. Even coaches from sports other than basketball were able to ask questions and learn from her advice.

Coach Martin discussed the importance of always trying to learn and grow as a coach. She said the more areas a coach can become familiar with will help them become a better coach. She also said she listens to her assistant coaches, which doesn’t always happen. She listens to their opinions and ideas, and takes them into consideration. Coach Martin looks at it as trying to train her assistants to be ready for a head coaching position in the future.

Three basketball coaches, Marlies Kiefer, Hope Chisamanga, and Ahmed El-Fattah both visited the women’s practice that evening to observe for a short period of time. Marlies commented on the role of the assistant coach. She said, “The assistant talked a lot; it was like they were equals.”

Both Marlies and Ahmed both commented on the zone defense Coach Martin ran with her team. They were both intrigued by it and expressed interest in wanting to learn more. Hope commented on the emphasis they put on the fundamentals, even at the collegiate level.

All three coaches commented on how welcoming and helpful Coach Martin was. They tried to tape practice, but she immediately offered to get them DVD copies of not just that practice, but practice for the whole week so they could see their different schedules.

All of the coaches gained a lot from the question and answer session with Coach Martin in the morning and the other three coaches were extremely grateful for the opportunity to witness her team’s training that afternoon.