Troy University Athletics
Preparing Players On and Off the Court: Troy Women’s Basketball GradLead
12/27/2021 12:56:00 PM | Basketball (W)
TROY, Ala. - There isn't a basketball coach in America who wouldn't want eight college graduates on the roster after that team won its league championship and made an NCAA Tournament appearance last season.
To be sure, Troy women's basketball head coach Chanda Rigby isn't complaining about her situation. But, the coach knows there are challenges that go with leading a team with this much experience.
There is the pressure of inflated expectations. The Trojans are the preseason favorite to the win the Sun Belt Conference. There is a danger of a group of veterans "tuning out" after hearing the same messages and running the same drills over and over. There is a challenge of continuing to keep things fresh for a 13-person roster where more than the squad aren't just seniors, they're graduates.
"There is so much that you know," Troy standout Felmas Koranga said after a recent game in which Rigby earned her 400th career victory. "The coaches don't really have to say certain things because we already know how to handle it. We just pick it up and go with that."
So, sure, that kind of experience is a blessing. But Rigby has been preparing this group of graduates not just for this season, but for what comes next. She started mentally preparing things she wanted to do with and for the seniors – Felmas Koranga, Jasmine Robinson, Janiah Sandifer, Tiyah Johnson and Jhileiya Dunlap – who returned after they were extended another year of eligibility by the NCAA.
Then Troy landed more graduate transfers for this season – Jada Walton (Texas Tech), Brianna Harris (Louisiana Tech) and Tina Stephens (Kansas) – and Rigby and her coaching staff knew this would be a group like no other they have taught.
She was determined not only to capitalize on the leadership skills the graduates provide on the basketball court, but to enhance those skills and get the players ready for life whenever basketball comes to an end for them.
Eventually, she and assistant coaches Jennifer Graf, who has been with Rigby for all 10 of the head coach's seasons in Troy, Courtney Simmons (nine years) and Neil Harrow (seven years), developed and implemented GradLead. Short for Graduate Leaders, it is a program for those Trojans who have already earned their degree, along with Koranga – a junior in eligibility who earned her degree in December.
"I was like, 'Shame on us if they have been in college athletics for five years and not know the ins and outs of leading or it hasn't been made a priority for them," Rigby said.
The head coach is a huge believer in leadership. She earned a doctorate degree in the field and credits the leadership skills that she practices with getting her from a dairy farm to guiding a women's program that can compete with anyone.
GradLead has elements of a team-wide program Rigby and her staff implemented several years ago called MTAC – More Than A Champion.
"It came from a verse in Romans that said we're more than conquerors, but we said we're more than champions," Rigby explained. "Every week with our whole team we had etiquette lessons, we had how to budget money, doing resumes, mock interviews for jobs, learning about forgiveness. This GradLead has kind of taken the place of that."
The bigger emphasis is on leadership.
"The very first thing we did was make sure we all understand that we all are leaders," Rigby said. "We are leaders as women. Whether we're going to lead our families or whether we're going to lead a corporation, we're leaders. And on this team we're all leaders.
"First of all, we did some things to develop our identity as a leader and then talked about leadership. Then we set team goals and individual goals. We talked about having a growth mindset. That's a big topic is always learning. We share things in a group message about other things we could share and learn from each other about leadership."
The program branched out to other areas that will require leadership.
"Right now we're covering what to do when adversity strikes," the coach said. "It's about having a contingency plan, how we're going to act when we're in adverse situations. The schedule we have this year, we're definitely going to be in some adverse situations."
In fact, they could be drawing on those lessons this week. Troy played at Missouri Tuesday night before the Thanksgiving break and will play Nov. 28 at national power Duke when the players return. In fact, the GradLead players got some practical experience by helping decided how Troy will manage its Thanksgiving break.
"We had some wiggle room with the schedule," Rigby said. "We were like, do we give everybody time to go home? Do we practice more and prepare ourselves more for the Duke game? We let the Grad Leads make that decision. We brought them to a meeting and said here's our options, what would y'all like to do? They're getting some pragmatic experience like that."
The GradLeads also helped shape the team's goals for this season, which Rigby said was a first since she's been at Troy.
"They made a comprehensive list of what our team goals could be, but they brought them to the rest of the team and let them vote to narrow that down and establish what our team goals are this year," Rigby said. "I think there's more buy-in when that happens. The more we're doing it the more I see the need for it. There's a little bit of remorse that we haven't been able to do this with other groups because it is valuable."
Rigby wanted to emphasize the "we are all leaders" message to her graduates. They went to Hobby Lobby, bought a bunch of arts and crafts supplies and players made signs that they will see every day as reminders.
"You can put them on your mirror or on your backpack or on your laptop," the coach said. "We made things that say 'I Am A Leader.' We say it over and over and we see it over and over. It kind of makes you step out and do it. It makes you take actions you might not have taken before if you didn't see yourself as a leader."
Several players have noticed changes in their teammates and even in their own demeanor as this leadership message sinks in.
"It's getting me to come out of my shell," Walton said. "I'm not really a vocal leader, sometimes. I like to lead by example. It's just letting me get closer to my teammates, learning them, learning what their strengths and weaknesses are. You can notice when somebody's having a bad day.
"The GradLead has helped me approach my teammates in a way that they will respond and get the best out of them. It's helping me grow as a person all around – not just on the basketball court. It was giving me confidence to go out and speak to someone or help someone out I may not know."
Sandifer, too, said she is more comfortable providing an example than being a vocal leader.
"We track different things at practice in the way that we lead," the player said. "If we grab somebody's water bottle and give it to them, a coach will tell us the next day that they saw that. It helps me to talk more. I'm more a show person than a talker."
She also said the GradLead program has helped on off the court, too.
"Even in class, I'm more of a laid-back person. I've been talking to my classmates more, talking to my teachers more – just feeling more comfortable doing that," Sandifer said.
Koranga said the program has been "a great initiative" because it keeps players accountable for things on and off the court.
"I've learned so much and I can see the difference in me as a person," said the 6-foot-1 player from Kenya. "There was so much that I really didn't know I could do. I was scared of talking in front of people, but I've been doing all these (interviews).
"She had us write cards that said, 'I am a leader.' Every time you see it, you don't think it's a big deal, but you wake up in the morning and you see it say, 'I am a leader.' That changes everything. It's been amazing."
Rigby said players are "hungry" for these leadership lessons, which really equate to a graduate level course. That's not by accident. Dr. Duane Gunn, Director of Operations & Lecturer for Troy University's Institute for Leadership Development, has contributed to GradLead.
"I have a whole group of professors that I email back and forth with," the coach said. "They've asked me to come speak to their leadership classes – and I have. In return, they help me. They research things they know I'm working on with my GradLead group and they'll send me emails and articles. It's improved a lot of things. It's improved our relationships about getting out and leaning on other resources on campus.
"(Troy Chancellor) Dr. (Jack) Hawkins always says he wants us not just to be competitive where we are, but be globally competitive. I think a lot goes into that. If you aim for nothing you're going to hit that every time. If we don't aim to make these women leaders, if we're not striving for it, there's a good chance it's not going to happen on its own. We're definitely seeing benefits."
Rigby's team is certainly active in its community. The Trojans have adopted two streets in town they keep clean from trash. They spend time with kids and have worked in the greenhouse at the Christian Love Center.
"They're doing a lot of actual leading and giving in this community," Rigby noted, adding thanks again to her staff. "We're always striving to help them as much or more off the court as we are on the court. I think that's one thing that sets us apart from many programs.
"At the upper level, they have people on their staffs just for life skills and development. We don't. It's the coaches that are digging in. We're in their lives in every respect, and I wouldn't have it any other way. They see that we care about them in other ways than just basketball players."
Sure, the team could benefit from what GradLead provides the players. Rigby insists that's not the main goal.
"These young women are on the verge of – for the first time in their life – not being an athlete where they're told where to go and what to do, or this is what you eat and when," the coach said. "You're about to have to make your way in this world. … They know my real motivation is in future life and making them better. It's a time that life has their attention.
"They know the players that have just left. They hear their struggles of getting jobs and getting out in the real world learning how to pay bills and all those things. I think some of them are really using this time to become the best they can be. … I'm thankful for this extra year and that they do have their degree and we're able to work on those higher-level leadership issues. It could pay off in the end for us, but it should definitely pay off in their lives that we're working on those things."
To be sure, Troy women's basketball head coach Chanda Rigby isn't complaining about her situation. But, the coach knows there are challenges that go with leading a team with this much experience.
There is the pressure of inflated expectations. The Trojans are the preseason favorite to the win the Sun Belt Conference. There is a danger of a group of veterans "tuning out" after hearing the same messages and running the same drills over and over. There is a challenge of continuing to keep things fresh for a 13-person roster where more than the squad aren't just seniors, they're graduates.
"There is so much that you know," Troy standout Felmas Koranga said after a recent game in which Rigby earned her 400th career victory. "The coaches don't really have to say certain things because we already know how to handle it. We just pick it up and go with that."
So, sure, that kind of experience is a blessing. But Rigby has been preparing this group of graduates not just for this season, but for what comes next. She started mentally preparing things she wanted to do with and for the seniors – Felmas Koranga, Jasmine Robinson, Janiah Sandifer, Tiyah Johnson and Jhileiya Dunlap – who returned after they were extended another year of eligibility by the NCAA.
Then Troy landed more graduate transfers for this season – Jada Walton (Texas Tech), Brianna Harris (Louisiana Tech) and Tina Stephens (Kansas) – and Rigby and her coaching staff knew this would be a group like no other they have taught.
She was determined not only to capitalize on the leadership skills the graduates provide on the basketball court, but to enhance those skills and get the players ready for life whenever basketball comes to an end for them.
Eventually, she and assistant coaches Jennifer Graf, who has been with Rigby for all 10 of the head coach's seasons in Troy, Courtney Simmons (nine years) and Neil Harrow (seven years), developed and implemented GradLead. Short for Graduate Leaders, it is a program for those Trojans who have already earned their degree, along with Koranga – a junior in eligibility who earned her degree in December.
"I was like, 'Shame on us if they have been in college athletics for five years and not know the ins and outs of leading or it hasn't been made a priority for them," Rigby said.
The head coach is a huge believer in leadership. She earned a doctorate degree in the field and credits the leadership skills that she practices with getting her from a dairy farm to guiding a women's program that can compete with anyone.
GradLead has elements of a team-wide program Rigby and her staff implemented several years ago called MTAC – More Than A Champion.
"It came from a verse in Romans that said we're more than conquerors, but we said we're more than champions," Rigby explained. "Every week with our whole team we had etiquette lessons, we had how to budget money, doing resumes, mock interviews for jobs, learning about forgiveness. This GradLead has kind of taken the place of that."
The bigger emphasis is on leadership.
"The very first thing we did was make sure we all understand that we all are leaders," Rigby said. "We are leaders as women. Whether we're going to lead our families or whether we're going to lead a corporation, we're leaders. And on this team we're all leaders.
"First of all, we did some things to develop our identity as a leader and then talked about leadership. Then we set team goals and individual goals. We talked about having a growth mindset. That's a big topic is always learning. We share things in a group message about other things we could share and learn from each other about leadership."
The program branched out to other areas that will require leadership.
"Right now we're covering what to do when adversity strikes," the coach said. "It's about having a contingency plan, how we're going to act when we're in adverse situations. The schedule we have this year, we're definitely going to be in some adverse situations."
In fact, they could be drawing on those lessons this week. Troy played at Missouri Tuesday night before the Thanksgiving break and will play Nov. 28 at national power Duke when the players return. In fact, the GradLead players got some practical experience by helping decided how Troy will manage its Thanksgiving break.
"We had some wiggle room with the schedule," Rigby said. "We were like, do we give everybody time to go home? Do we practice more and prepare ourselves more for the Duke game? We let the Grad Leads make that decision. We brought them to a meeting and said here's our options, what would y'all like to do? They're getting some pragmatic experience like that."
The GradLeads also helped shape the team's goals for this season, which Rigby said was a first since she's been at Troy.
"They made a comprehensive list of what our team goals could be, but they brought them to the rest of the team and let them vote to narrow that down and establish what our team goals are this year," Rigby said. "I think there's more buy-in when that happens. The more we're doing it the more I see the need for it. There's a little bit of remorse that we haven't been able to do this with other groups because it is valuable."
Rigby wanted to emphasize the "we are all leaders" message to her graduates. They went to Hobby Lobby, bought a bunch of arts and crafts supplies and players made signs that they will see every day as reminders.
"You can put them on your mirror or on your backpack or on your laptop," the coach said. "We made things that say 'I Am A Leader.' We say it over and over and we see it over and over. It kind of makes you step out and do it. It makes you take actions you might not have taken before if you didn't see yourself as a leader."
Several players have noticed changes in their teammates and even in their own demeanor as this leadership message sinks in.
"It's getting me to come out of my shell," Walton said. "I'm not really a vocal leader, sometimes. I like to lead by example. It's just letting me get closer to my teammates, learning them, learning what their strengths and weaknesses are. You can notice when somebody's having a bad day.
"The GradLead has helped me approach my teammates in a way that they will respond and get the best out of them. It's helping me grow as a person all around – not just on the basketball court. It was giving me confidence to go out and speak to someone or help someone out I may not know."
Sandifer, too, said she is more comfortable providing an example than being a vocal leader.
"We track different things at practice in the way that we lead," the player said. "If we grab somebody's water bottle and give it to them, a coach will tell us the next day that they saw that. It helps me to talk more. I'm more a show person than a talker."
She also said the GradLead program has helped on off the court, too.
"Even in class, I'm more of a laid-back person. I've been talking to my classmates more, talking to my teachers more – just feeling more comfortable doing that," Sandifer said.
Koranga said the program has been "a great initiative" because it keeps players accountable for things on and off the court.
"I've learned so much and I can see the difference in me as a person," said the 6-foot-1 player from Kenya. "There was so much that I really didn't know I could do. I was scared of talking in front of people, but I've been doing all these (interviews).
"She had us write cards that said, 'I am a leader.' Every time you see it, you don't think it's a big deal, but you wake up in the morning and you see it say, 'I am a leader.' That changes everything. It's been amazing."
Rigby said players are "hungry" for these leadership lessons, which really equate to a graduate level course. That's not by accident. Dr. Duane Gunn, Director of Operations & Lecturer for Troy University's Institute for Leadership Development, has contributed to GradLead.
"I have a whole group of professors that I email back and forth with," the coach said. "They've asked me to come speak to their leadership classes – and I have. In return, they help me. They research things they know I'm working on with my GradLead group and they'll send me emails and articles. It's improved a lot of things. It's improved our relationships about getting out and leaning on other resources on campus.
"(Troy Chancellor) Dr. (Jack) Hawkins always says he wants us not just to be competitive where we are, but be globally competitive. I think a lot goes into that. If you aim for nothing you're going to hit that every time. If we don't aim to make these women leaders, if we're not striving for it, there's a good chance it's not going to happen on its own. We're definitely seeing benefits."
Rigby's team is certainly active in its community. The Trojans have adopted two streets in town they keep clean from trash. They spend time with kids and have worked in the greenhouse at the Christian Love Center.
"They're doing a lot of actual leading and giving in this community," Rigby noted, adding thanks again to her staff. "We're always striving to help them as much or more off the court as we are on the court. I think that's one thing that sets us apart from many programs.
"At the upper level, they have people on their staffs just for life skills and development. We don't. It's the coaches that are digging in. We're in their lives in every respect, and I wouldn't have it any other way. They see that we care about them in other ways than just basketball players."
Sure, the team could benefit from what GradLead provides the players. Rigby insists that's not the main goal.
"These young women are on the verge of – for the first time in their life – not being an athlete where they're told where to go and what to do, or this is what you eat and when," the coach said. "You're about to have to make your way in this world. … They know my real motivation is in future life and making them better. It's a time that life has their attention.
"They know the players that have just left. They hear their struggles of getting jobs and getting out in the real world learning how to pay bills and all those things. I think some of them are really using this time to become the best they can be. … I'm thankful for this extra year and that they do have their degree and we're able to work on those higher-level leadership issues. It could pay off in the end for us, but it should definitely pay off in their lives that we're working on those things."
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