In a new episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, The Next’s Howard Megdal welcomes Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) head coach Lisa Stone to discuss Stone’s long and storied career in women’s basketball.
Stone played for legendary coach C. Vivian Stringer at Iowa and has head coaching experience at Cornell College, Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Drake, Wisconsin and Saint Louis.
Megdal begins by asking Stone about her decision to take the job at Division III WashU in August. Stone explains:
“It was a no-brainer for me. I still have juice. I still have got energy. I love coaching. I love this philosophy here. They are students first — there’s no question about that — and then they’re basketball players. [They’re] very intelligent, very caring, very much wanting to hang another banner. …
“With 17 bodies, there’s a lot of players trying to navigate who plays when and what, but they love it. They come to practice, they’re gracious, they’re thankful. And I thank them for welcoming me back to the court. It is a dream come true.”
So far this season, WashU is 5-1, with its only loss coming to No. 8 Illinois Wesleyan by 8 points on Sunday. Stone talks about her philosophy as a coach:
“I’m a fundamentalist. I’m a defensive coach. I want rebounding to be a key statistic for us, and I want us to have a fun offense. And those sound [like] very coined phrases, but it’s the truth. …
“Basketball is actually not that complex. It just isn’t. There’s a simplicity to it. There’s a belief and a system, but there’s also a trust and a respect and a relationship with players that, that’s how things work these days. That’s just how it is. They have to know and believe in themselves first, and their teammates and their coaches. And I feel very good about that.”
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