Troy University Athletics
11/3/2026 9:00:00 AM | Basketball (W)
TROY, Ala. – In coaching the women's basketball program together for nearly 15 years at Troy, one would think Trojans head coach Chanda Rigby and associate head coach Jennifer Graf could practically read each other's minds in game situations.
"Not necessarily," Graf said. "Coach Rigby is very much an out-of-the-box thinker, which makes us a really good tandem, because I'm, 'Here's the reality of it, here's what probably should happen and here's what you probably should do.'
"Most of the time, Coach Rigby is going to be over here saying, 'But, if we did this, they wouldn't be ready for it.'"
It's a combination of thoughts and ideas that has worked well for the Trojans under the leadership of Rigby, who became the program's all-time winningest coach last season and is the longest-tenured head women's basketball coach in the Sun Belt Conference.
Rigby doesn't shy away from heaping praise on her assistants for the accolades she's received.
"I don't know of a colleague that I have that depends so much on their staff as I do, in game situations, or any situation," Rigby said.
It includes Rigby relying on her assistant to make player substitutions.
"In game situations, most head coaches pull the reins back," Rigby said. "They're (assistants) better than me at it (substituting), so I don't give it another thought. Just to be able to completely turn that over and not second guess that allows you to go on to what's next."
Graf appreciates the trust Rigby shows her and fellow assistants Stephanie Murphy and Grace Daniels.
"Coach Murphy and Coach Daniels handle the guards and they substitute the guards, then I substitute the post players," Graf said. "There's not a lot of head coaches that give their assistants that freedom.
"But then you have to be on the same page, because there's certain times when she may want a certain defense, and we automatically know. That's where it's been nice, too, to have the rollover of the same staff for a couple of years. We're really pretty in sync in knowing that this is the lineup Coach Rigby is going to want in at this moment in time."
A Good Fit for Both
Graf, who played for Rigby at Loranger (Louisiana) High School, is one of the most respected assistant coaches in college basketball.
She starred as a basketball player at Northwestern State University in Louisiana and was head women's basketball coach of her alma mater for eight years before reuniting with Rigby at Troy in 2012.
"She's been offered higher-level jobs than I have since I've been here," Rigby said of Graf.
But neither has shown a real interest in leaving a place that has become home.
"When I put the whole picture together of other jobs I've been offered, the ones I've been offered are not a better deal for me than Troy," Rigby said. "I appreciate what I have here. Now Graf, every year people reach out trying to get her to be their head coach."
Like Rigby, Graf isn't necessarily looking to go anywhere.
"Whenever anybody comes after you and wants you, it's like, 'OK, let's compare,'" Graf said. "When you're in a good situation, you don't go out really looking for a different situation.
"I say often, there's something to be said for happiness and making a difference in a place that you're called to be at. Not saying you can't make a difference in other places, but when you're in a great place, you've got to have a pretty big trump card to make me go some place different.
"Not that I don't want to be a head coach again some day … and not that I necessarily have to be either … I just compare those situations and say, 'Does that fit me? Could I be happy there?'
"And sometimes the answer is, 'No. That doesn't fit me.' Troy is this great country place but big enough to where you can have an elite Division I program. It's unique and I'm really happy here."
Learning From Each Other
Graf spent several years as an assistant women's basketball coach at Northwestern State following her playing days there and was elevated to head coach in 2004, becoming the youngest NCAA Division I head coach at the time at age 26.
When Rigby took over at Troy following seven successful seasons as head coach at Pensacola State in the junior college ranks — which included two trips to the NJCAA Final Four — she called on her former high school player in hopes she would come on board as an assistant.
Graf quickly obliged, and the two began coaching together for the first time.
"One thing I realized is my personality fits better as an assistant because I like to do, do, do, whereas Coach Rigby has so many responsibilities," Graf said. "I heard somebody say before you're a head coach, you don't understand the pressures of a head coach.
"That's allowed me to be a better assistant because I know what it feels like to sit in that chair, and all of the other things you have to do besides coach basketball, which I didn't know how to balance.
"Coming here and Coach Rigby allowing me to be the doer, if you will, fit me so well. I was better in that role. But I've learned so much, too, because being a head coach so young, you don't know what you don't know.
"I didn't know a lot of the recruiting ends and outs of how to do things. Coach Rigby was the best in the business in JUCO. You don't go to national championship games without knowing how to recruit kids every single year. That's been so beneficial to me in my coaching career."
In turn, Rigby has learned from Graf.
"Seriously, Coach Graf has improved me a lot because she still runs practices for me, but she does it in a way that I didn't know was possible," Rigby said.
"She keeps things going. The next thing is already happening before the first thing is over, almost. I didn't even understand that when I first got here. Now I see the value in that because that's how a basketball game is … everything is happening so fast.
"I used to just stop before every drill and explain what we're about to do and what's going on. She's more let's push to the next thing because that's the way it happens in a game. And my other assistant coaches have taught me things."
Bringing Change to the Sun Belt
The brand of basketball Rigby installed after arriving at Troy has also transformed women's basketball in the Sun Belt Conference.
"I really believe that we made a huge impact on the Sun Belt when we came here," Rigby said. "It was kind of a low-scoring league. When we came in, the people who were running the league then were the (Coach) Joe Foley's of the UALR (Arkansas-Little Rock), and he was a defensive coach.
"We came in and got these unbelievable athletes and started running the score up to 85 points a game. People literally had to change the type of players they were recruiting.
"I do think we had a big shock and impact on the conference. We got our thing rolling and got other people to change to be more scoring minded and even getting better athletes in the league."
Rigby's overall record as a head coach is 280-165, including a 174-75 mark in Sun Belt play.
The Season Ahead
Following the graduation of eight seniors from last year's squad, this season will feature Rigby's least experienced team since she arrived at Troy.
"From the starting line to where we are now, we're further away from the finish line than we've ever started," Rigby said. "That is no lack of talent, though. We've got something.
"We now have 6-foot-4 post players that can finish with both hands around the goal, but they're very unproven. We now have in Hannah (Smith) from Montgomery Catholic, a big Division I body guard to start the year out that goes as hard as she can on every play. We've never had that before, but she's a freshman.
"We've led the nation nine years in rebounding. Right now in the Sun Belt Conference, we wouldn't even be at the top in rebounding. But, we know how to get it out of people and we've got a great product to start with.
"We plan to travel the furthest on this journey, because the goal is still the same — to win the Sun Belt championship."
Driven to Make a Difference
Though it can be a grind at times, Graf wouldn't trade what she does for a living for any other occupation.
"I believe God has asked us to serve," Graf said. "He's obviously given all of us a passion for basketball and I have this calling to serve. Everybody has their calling.
"We get to deal with people, and kids really, and affect their lives. Your job is to try and make them the best version of themselves that they can be."
The two coaches have much in common, yet their differences may be the secret to the success that has followed.
"This whole article could probably be summarized in the fact that the way God created me is that I'm a visionary … I'm always seeing a big picture; I'm always seeing the end first and working backwards," Rigby said. "The way God made me and the way God made her — it makes it possible for both of us to be successful when we work together."
Of course, the two share one trait very much in common.
"We're both really driven to win," Rigby said. "We know it's been too long since we've won a ring and we want another one."
"Not necessarily," Graf said. "Coach Rigby is very much an out-of-the-box thinker, which makes us a really good tandem, because I'm, 'Here's the reality of it, here's what probably should happen and here's what you probably should do.'
"Most of the time, Coach Rigby is going to be over here saying, 'But, if we did this, they wouldn't be ready for it.'"
It's a combination of thoughts and ideas that has worked well for the Trojans under the leadership of Rigby, who became the program's all-time winningest coach last season and is the longest-tenured head women's basketball coach in the Sun Belt Conference.
Rigby doesn't shy away from heaping praise on her assistants for the accolades she's received.
"I don't know of a colleague that I have that depends so much on their staff as I do, in game situations, or any situation," Rigby said.
It includes Rigby relying on her assistant to make player substitutions.
"In game situations, most head coaches pull the reins back," Rigby said. "They're (assistants) better than me at it (substituting), so I don't give it another thought. Just to be able to completely turn that over and not second guess that allows you to go on to what's next."
Graf appreciates the trust Rigby shows her and fellow assistants Stephanie Murphy and Grace Daniels.
"Coach Murphy and Coach Daniels handle the guards and they substitute the guards, then I substitute the post players," Graf said. "There's not a lot of head coaches that give their assistants that freedom.
"But then you have to be on the same page, because there's certain times when she may want a certain defense, and we automatically know. That's where it's been nice, too, to have the rollover of the same staff for a couple of years. We're really pretty in sync in knowing that this is the lineup Coach Rigby is going to want in at this moment in time."
A Good Fit for Both
Graf, who played for Rigby at Loranger (Louisiana) High School, is one of the most respected assistant coaches in college basketball.
She starred as a basketball player at Northwestern State University in Louisiana and was head women's basketball coach of her alma mater for eight years before reuniting with Rigby at Troy in 2012.
"She's been offered higher-level jobs than I have since I've been here," Rigby said of Graf.
But neither has shown a real interest in leaving a place that has become home.
"When I put the whole picture together of other jobs I've been offered, the ones I've been offered are not a better deal for me than Troy," Rigby said. "I appreciate what I have here. Now Graf, every year people reach out trying to get her to be their head coach."
Like Rigby, Graf isn't necessarily looking to go anywhere.
"Whenever anybody comes after you and wants you, it's like, 'OK, let's compare,'" Graf said. "When you're in a good situation, you don't go out really looking for a different situation.
"I say often, there's something to be said for happiness and making a difference in a place that you're called to be at. Not saying you can't make a difference in other places, but when you're in a great place, you've got to have a pretty big trump card to make me go some place different.
"Not that I don't want to be a head coach again some day … and not that I necessarily have to be either … I just compare those situations and say, 'Does that fit me? Could I be happy there?'
"And sometimes the answer is, 'No. That doesn't fit me.' Troy is this great country place but big enough to where you can have an elite Division I program. It's unique and I'm really happy here."
Learning From Each Other
Graf spent several years as an assistant women's basketball coach at Northwestern State following her playing days there and was elevated to head coach in 2004, becoming the youngest NCAA Division I head coach at the time at age 26.
When Rigby took over at Troy following seven successful seasons as head coach at Pensacola State in the junior college ranks — which included two trips to the NJCAA Final Four — she called on her former high school player in hopes she would come on board as an assistant.
Graf quickly obliged, and the two began coaching together for the first time.
"One thing I realized is my personality fits better as an assistant because I like to do, do, do, whereas Coach Rigby has so many responsibilities," Graf said. "I heard somebody say before you're a head coach, you don't understand the pressures of a head coach.
"That's allowed me to be a better assistant because I know what it feels like to sit in that chair, and all of the other things you have to do besides coach basketball, which I didn't know how to balance.
"Coming here and Coach Rigby allowing me to be the doer, if you will, fit me so well. I was better in that role. But I've learned so much, too, because being a head coach so young, you don't know what you don't know.
"I didn't know a lot of the recruiting ends and outs of how to do things. Coach Rigby was the best in the business in JUCO. You don't go to national championship games without knowing how to recruit kids every single year. That's been so beneficial to me in my coaching career."
In turn, Rigby has learned from Graf.
"Seriously, Coach Graf has improved me a lot because she still runs practices for me, but she does it in a way that I didn't know was possible," Rigby said.
"She keeps things going. The next thing is already happening before the first thing is over, almost. I didn't even understand that when I first got here. Now I see the value in that because that's how a basketball game is … everything is happening so fast.
"I used to just stop before every drill and explain what we're about to do and what's going on. She's more let's push to the next thing because that's the way it happens in a game. And my other assistant coaches have taught me things."
Bringing Change to the Sun Belt
The brand of basketball Rigby installed after arriving at Troy has also transformed women's basketball in the Sun Belt Conference.
"I really believe that we made a huge impact on the Sun Belt when we came here," Rigby said. "It was kind of a low-scoring league. When we came in, the people who were running the league then were the (Coach) Joe Foley's of the UALR (Arkansas-Little Rock), and he was a defensive coach.
"We came in and got these unbelievable athletes and started running the score up to 85 points a game. People literally had to change the type of players they were recruiting.
"I do think we had a big shock and impact on the conference. We got our thing rolling and got other people to change to be more scoring minded and even getting better athletes in the league."
Rigby's overall record as a head coach is 280-165, including a 174-75 mark in Sun Belt play.
The Season Ahead
Following the graduation of eight seniors from last year's squad, this season will feature Rigby's least experienced team since she arrived at Troy.
"From the starting line to where we are now, we're further away from the finish line than we've ever started," Rigby said. "That is no lack of talent, though. We've got something.
"We now have 6-foot-4 post players that can finish with both hands around the goal, but they're very unproven. We now have in Hannah (Smith) from Montgomery Catholic, a big Division I body guard to start the year out that goes as hard as she can on every play. We've never had that before, but she's a freshman.
"We've led the nation nine years in rebounding. Right now in the Sun Belt Conference, we wouldn't even be at the top in rebounding. But, we know how to get it out of people and we've got a great product to start with.
"We plan to travel the furthest on this journey, because the goal is still the same — to win the Sun Belt championship."
Driven to Make a Difference
Though it can be a grind at times, Graf wouldn't trade what she does for a living for any other occupation.
"I believe God has asked us to serve," Graf said. "He's obviously given all of us a passion for basketball and I have this calling to serve. Everybody has their calling.
"We get to deal with people, and kids really, and affect their lives. Your job is to try and make them the best version of themselves that they can be."
The two coaches have much in common, yet their differences may be the secret to the success that has followed.
"This whole article could probably be summarized in the fact that the way God created me is that I'm a visionary … I'm always seeing a big picture; I'm always seeing the end first and working backwards," Rigby said. "The way God made me and the way God made her — it makes it possible for both of us to be successful when we work together."
Of course, the two share one trait very much in common.
"We're both really driven to win," Rigby said. "We know it's been too long since we've won a ring and we want another one."
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