Coach Courtney Peay: More than Basketball
Although Coach Courtney Peay loves the X’s and O’s behind the sport of basketball and improving her own on-the-court coaching abilities, she realizes that coaching is more than just basketball. Growing up, Coach Peay loved basketball and was very talented as well. In fact, she was able to play on the college level in hopes of playing professionally. Ironically, along her journey as a player, she would occasionally say,
I never want to be a coach.
However, over time God had other plans for Coach Peay as she felt called to go into the coaching profession. After graduating college and taking a year off to see what she wanted to do long-term, Coach Peay became the GA for her alma mater. This was the beginning of her coaching career. From there, Coach Peay went on to coach at her alma mater for 4 seasons (3 as an assistant), coached at the high school level for one season, and has been with Trinity International university since 2020. As of March of 2022, Coach Peay was named the Head Coach of Trinity International University, becoming the first head female black coach for the university.
Today’s All In Takeaways are around the hiring process for the coaching staff and making sure that your coaching style is more than basketball.
All In Takeaway #1: EVERYONE Being a part of the Hiring Process
When Coach Peay was interviewing for the assistant coaching position at Trinity International University, one of the last steps of the interview process was an interview with the athletes. During this time, the athletes asked Coach Peay many questions which allowed the athletes to get to know the coach better. Ultimately, this helped clarify that she was the right fit for the program. One of the questions that the athletes asked was,
If one of us is having an attitude problem with the head coach, what would you do?
Not only was Coach Peay interviewed by the athletes but also the entire athletic department. This includes the coaches from all of the other sports. Coaches, make sure that your hiring process for your staff includes EVERYONE’S input. All too often, coaches are getting hired without any input from the players or the program as a whole.
All In Takeaway #2: More than Basketball
When reflecting on her coaching style, Coach Peay concluded that she coaches on an inward-outward approach. Ultimately, the emotional stability, spiritual wellness, and mental health are all key factors in how you perform physically. Before Coach Peay even starts to think about her athlete’s on-the-court performance, she focuses on these three key areas first. In order for athletes to perform well physically, they need to be in the right mental space. Making sure to focus your efforts on things other than just basketball, is a great way of accomplishing this. For example, the theme this year is having an excellence mentality. This means making consistent progress towards your goals in everything you do. Coaches is your focus more than basketball? Are you helping your athletes in their journey towards being a professional in everything they do?
Currently…
Coach Peay is getting ready for her 3rd season at Trinity International University while working on her PHD in counseling. Go Trojans!
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