Barmore's Presence at Baylor is Huge
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -- It's not every day a legendary coach is coaxed out of retirement to join a coaching staff as an assistant coach; but, Leon Barmore did just that when Kim Mulkey, head coach at Baylor, talked Coach Barmore into joining her staff.
Mulkey played for Barmore at Louisiana Tech and was an assistant coach for Barmore for 15 seasons at La Tech.
Barmore's coaching record is spectacular. His .869 winning percentage (576-87) is the best in women's college basketball history. He led the Lady Techsters to 20 (out of 20) trips to the NCAA Tournament including four NCAA runner-up finishes; nine NCAA Final Four appearances; and one national championship in 1988.
Because of his relationship with Coach Mulkey, Barmore had attended a few practices in the past; however, now that he's part of the coaching staff, he has made a huge impact on Baylor's players.
"Coach Barmore demands a certain respect without asking for it," said Baylor's Jhasmin Player. "Coach Barmore speaks a word and you just hear everyone in the gym get silent because you know how much he knows and you want to learn as much as you possibly can from him. You just want to absorb from Coach Barmore as much as you possibly can; and, that's what we spend our time doing."
"Coach Barmore, to me, is like another Kim Mulkey," said senior forward Rachel Allison. "He's a Hall of Fame Coach. I think we're blessed to have him. I know not every team has a coach come out of retirement to coach for them and for him to do that says a lot for Coach Mulkey as a person and how he feels about our team. We're just blessed to have him."
"He's definitely added a lot of knowledge," added senior wing Jessica Morrow. "The first day of practice we had over 300 people at practice. The first time he opened his mouth the whole gym got silent. Everybody was paying attention to what he was saying. He's full of wisdom.
"Coach Mulkey made us realize when she said to us, 'Do you realize that you're playing for a legendary coach?' I just try to take as much from him as much as I can because he just has so much wisdom."
Mulkey played for Barmore at Louisiana Tech and was an assistant coach for Barmore for 15 seasons at La Tech.
Barmore's coaching record is spectacular. His .869 winning percentage (576-87) is the best in women's college basketball history. He led the Lady Techsters to 20 (out of 20) trips to the NCAA Tournament including four NCAA runner-up finishes; nine NCAA Final Four appearances; and one national championship in 1988.
Because of his relationship with Coach Mulkey, Barmore had attended a few practices in the past; however, now that he's part of the coaching staff, he has made a huge impact on Baylor's players.
"Coach Barmore demands a certain respect without asking for it," said Baylor's Jhasmin Player. "Coach Barmore speaks a word and you just hear everyone in the gym get silent because you know how much he knows and you want to learn as much as you possibly can from him. You just want to absorb from Coach Barmore as much as you possibly can; and, that's what we spend our time doing."
"Coach Barmore, to me, is like another Kim Mulkey," said senior forward Rachel Allison. "He's a Hall of Fame Coach. I think we're blessed to have him. I know not every team has a coach come out of retirement to coach for them and for him to do that says a lot for Coach Mulkey as a person and how he feels about our team. We're just blessed to have him."
"He's definitely added a lot of knowledge," added senior wing Jessica Morrow. "The first day of practice we had over 300 people at practice. The first time he opened his mouth the whole gym got silent. Everybody was paying attention to what he was saying. He's full of wisdom.
"Coach Mulkey made us realize when she said to us, 'Do you realize that you're playing for a legendary coach?' I just try to take as much from him as much as I can because he just has so much wisdom."
posted by Kris Gardner @ 11:35 AM
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