Coach Wilson of the College of Charleston Lady Cougars
November 1, 2011: The Historic Rotary Club of Charleston was treated on Tuesday to a presentation by Nancy Wilson, Head Coach of Women’s Basketball at the College of Charleston. With a career win-loss record of 535-342 in her 30th year of coaching overall, and her College of Charleston win-loss record of 304-192 in her 17th year, she made a powerful impression on the club.
Wilson won her 500th career game against Georgia Southern Feb. 16, 2009, and returned to take over as head women’s basketball coach at the College of Charleston on March 27th, 2003. She is now in her 17th season with the Cougars. In her own words, “timing is everything…at every point in my career I happened to be in the right place at the right time,” which began with her first moves in the coaching field when she became the assistant coach under the renowned Joan Cronin at University of Tennessee.
Talking about the changes that have occurred in athletics and higher education over the years, Wilson reflected on how college sports have become so increasingly competitive and challenging. She recalled how in the ’70s and ’80s scholarships were few and often amounted to about $100 applied toward books or other school necessities. “It was nothing like what we see today with all of the NCAA regulations governing recruiting and training rules.”
“And with all of the sports camps and clinics around the country available to young people, the skills have become so much greater,” she said. “I remember when I started, I was the staff, custodian and bus driver. We had a senior who drove the bus quite a bit, but for our longer trips it wasn’t right to have the players do the driving, so I went out with my assistant and players and taught ourselves how to drive in parking lots. Now, of course, we have assistant coaches, strength trainers and dedicated drivers and buses. Times are very different.”
She also talked about how today’s athletes have many more challenges and responsibilities: “These young people are juggling so much more. They have to maintain solid GPAs, competition is tougher on the court and off, and by the time they reach college, these young athletes have been playing for 10 or more years, so it’s more like a business.”
On her last year leading the Cougars, she was bullish and upbeat, “As I make plans to retire this year, I am gratified as I look back over the years to see how far women’s athletics has come, and I know they will only continue to advance. It’s been a wonderful journey, but I won’t be far away.”
Go Cougars!
Submitted by Mark Danes, Keyway Committee