As graduate student Kaylah Ivey winds down a six-year college journey (one year off due to injury), she does so with a great sense of satisfaction. Not only did she earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Boston College, but she overcame injury to become a starting point guard. She still had one year of eligibility (for everyone who played in 2020–21), so she joined the women’s basketball team at Rutgers University, starting in 29 games and leading the Scarlet Knights in assists. She will complete her master’s in education next month.
While the team’s results weren’t what Ivey had hoped for, she is deeply appreciative that coach Coquese Washington, who left Rutgers at the conclusion of the season, nominated her for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s (WBCA) “So You Want to Be a Coach” program, which was held in Phoenix at the WBCA convention during the Final Four.
“I figured I want to be a coach, so I went the education route to understand how to educate young people and the different teaching styles that people need, because everyone doesn’t learn the same way,” said Ivey, who studied psychology as an undergraduate. “So You Want to Be a Coach was a great experience. I met and talked with so many people, so many coaches.”
The two-day program informs student-athletes in their last year of eligibility about the skills necessary to get a coaching job. This year’s group was particularly, but there was ample time for the participants to network and meet coaches and administrators. Tara VanDerveer, Stanford’s coach emerita, was among the speakers. “There were so many great people and I learned so much,” said Ivey.
Ivey said the participants came from a diverse range of institutions, including Division III and even NAIA. It was enlightening to hear people’s perspectives on their seasons and even the resources their schools have.
“Being able to hear the different coaching stories from the coaches was so insightful,” Ivey said. “Everyone has their own journey. Obviously, the ultimate goal is to be at a Division I program, but you have to start from somewhere. All these coaches [who] came and talked to us — they all had a different path starting out. One thing that stuck with me is never to compromise yourself for a job … Continue to be yourself and build those relationships.”