Jim Stacy

Vype's Steve Braun caught up with Union Girls Basketball Head Coach Jim Stacy. Coach Stacy has the Lady Redskins sitting atop the 6A Girls Basketball world once again after winning the gold ball last season. VYPE: You captured the first girls' basketball title at Union. How special was that? JS: Words can't explain how it felt. To be the first at anything is quite an achievement. To do it in the fashion that they did was just remarkable, to go 27-0 that speaks volumes of the group of kids that we had. VYPE: You went undefeated last season. What are some of the difficulties of coaching an undefeated team? JS: You know what, people can believe this or not, we just went as business as usual every day last year. I've had seasons where you go into a ball game and you're all worried or whatever. But the group that we had, the combination of whatever it was and the belief of the girls in each other. I was at such a peace that we never entered a ball game where I felt like 'man we're getting beat.' That came from the girls everyday in practice, just the things they did, the belief and confidence they gave us as a coach. VYPE: Looking back at last season, was there a point that you knew that we might have something special with this team? JS: You know we knew something was special early on. In particular when we went down to Ada and we captured the Bertha Frank Teague Tournament we kind of knew we had something going. Of course during the summer time we felt we had a special group. But after that Ada tournament we really knew we had an opportunity. At the break, at the time I think we were 12-0, Coach (Lisa) Palmer, my assistant coach, came up with the idea, you know what we don't want to get caught up in the 12-0, 13-0, everyday count. So we said ladies that first half of the season is over, we're zero and zero so here we go again. We never really got caught up in counting and looking at our record and we make a point of that. VYPE: It's your twelfth year at Union, what has changed since when you started there? JS: Well my first four years were spent with the boy's program, Coach Allen had the girls. I took over, this is my ninth year with the girls, and it's just been a steady progress. A process of just building and just kind of getting the program in place. All the credit goes to the kids, the players, they work hard they come in they believe. We hope we're building tradition here that when girls come in they know what's expected. Tradition does play a large part in athletics that's without a doubt. VYPE: Where did you get your start in coaching? JS: I went to college at Sterling, Kansas at Sterling College. In my final two years, I played for three years and I was smart enough to realize that playing wasn't going to put food on the table, so I assisted up there my last two years, my senior year and a fifth year. My first high school job was at Pleasant Grove in Seminole County a Class B school I don't even think they have a high school anymore. VYPE: Does the game seem to change when it comes into February and March? JS: Well you know it does if you take a different approach, otherwise no. Another thing we used last year was 'Next' after a ball game it was 'next, who's next?' Kids probably tend to be a little more focused because by that time of the season it's been a long haul. We talk about October 1 being the official practice date but when your kids get in school in August we all start working for now. VYPE: Where do you see yourself 5 and 10 years down the road? JS: Well I've got a first grader so I assume I'll still be teaching and coaching.