Stacie Terry, Head Coach of SDSU Women's Basketball with the ultimate Aztec, Larry Cook
Coach Stacie Terry, now in her fifth year as head coach of the San Diego State University Women’s Basketball team (currently 4-0) was our speaker at the November 16, 2017 meeting. She began by recalling her own goals as an undergraduate at University of Texas Arlington, where she played basketball and continued her excellent 3-point shooting after graduating from El Capitan High School. At UTA Coach Terry was a Communications major, and she planned to become the first female sideline reporter for the NFL. Yet when she graduated, she didn’t have the experience she needed to break into broadcasting. When she got into coaching, Coach Terry made it her mission to provide the women she coached the opportunities she didn’t have.
Coach Terry has had success in recruiting, as evidenced by her nationally-ranked recruiting classes. When recruiting, Coach Terry looks for young women who have intangible qualities beyond basketball talent and considers whether they have a good attitude and work ethic. Pat Summitt, the all-time winningest coach in NCAA Division I history advised her that she needed players who could “wake up and start their own engines.” Coach Terry makes a promise to the parents of her recruits: not only will their daughters become better basketball players, they will become more well-rounded young women.
SDSU players attend financial planning workshops and are encouraged to start saving a few dollars from the scholarship funds. Coach Terry also makes it point to expose her players to the local culture of the cities where they play away games. For instance, when they played a tournament in New York, the whole team went to see “The Color Purple” on Broadway. Academics are also emphasized and the team strives to see that each player maintains at least a 3.0 GPA. Players are coached to develop a media presence and conduct themselves with confidence. All of these skills will serve SDSU players well when they enter the work force.