Miss Weller, Coaching, And All That Jazz

An article on knoxnews.com, Former Players Find Out They Have Coach’s Traits: Built Maryland With Nurturing Style, brought back a lot of memories. With former University of Maryland Head Women’s Basketball Coach Chris Weller‘s well deserved induction into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame this Saturday, the article reflects on how past players, particularly Jasmina Perazic, find that they sound like their college coach.

I smiled when Jazz (I can’t remember anyone calling her Jasmina) recalled when she noticed that she, a two-time Yugoslavian Olympian, sounded like her college coach. These women were very much from my era at Maryland. I can still hear Miss Weller’s words echoing through Cole Field House during practices. Jazz and I found ourselves in more than a few games on the floor of Cole as well. (N.B. – There’s nothing like playing against an Olympian to ensure your humility.)

While in my memories they have very distinct voices, I also appreciate that teachers are often the continuation of those who influenced them the most. When Jazz is teaching her players about the game, it’s only natural that some of Coach Weller’s influence will make an appearance. Jazz’ players are fortunate. Definitely a two-fer.