Boston College Athletics
Ultimate Award For Coach - And For Team
March 02, 2020 | Women's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
Joanna Bernabei-McNamee is the unanimous choice for ACC Coach of the Year
I still remember my first interview with Joanna Bernabei-McNamee because it completely altered my perception of basketball.
We talked for maybe 20 or 25 minutes, but I asked maybe two or three questions about the team, the players and the ACC. I completely forgot to ask about her winning seasons at Albany or her experience as a national championship assistant coach at Maryland. There wasn't a single question about how personnel fit a scheme or vice-versa, and I never got to systemic questions.
I always assumed preparing for a basketball game steeped in prior success or general basketball know-how. I believed practice revolved more around fundamentals, that being better meant dribbling better and becoming more agile or a better shooter. Every attribute looked inward, but during that first chat with Coach McNamee, we didn't talk about any of that.
Instead, she talked to me about endurance, tempo, preparation, scouting and intelligence. She told me her system directed enhancement of basketball mentality and conditioning. We discussed how a team's cohesion lent directly to creating five different threats on the floor, each individualized but somehow a part of a greater team game.
It all stemmed from one word: grit. I walked out of the office dreaming of a meaner Boston College team, burning to defeat every opponent. I thought of the old Big East, the old mentality of the Northeast, and how embracing the challenge would become part of the journey. I dreamed of watching the Eagles' name grace the NCAA Tournament again, knowing it could happen if she was the right coach to excavate the geologic talents of the BC players.
I went back over old headlines from the past two seasons and found a trend in almost every interview. Almost every post and article referenced toughness, a revolution and a togetherness, starting with the first discussion of thankfulness among players and coaches amidst an undefeated start to last season.
It transitioned into talk about gutting out performances, bridged past scratching the tip of a talent iceberg. Early success expressed an achievement, but learning the ACC's grind ingrained a mantra within the locker room. The Eagles went into the ACC Tournament believing they had "nothing to lose," then approached the offseason believing it was one, continuous session. This season is the product of that mentality, of that shared drive between coach and player.
Some pretty unique things happened along the way. Post-game press conferences turn into banters with players, converting question-and-answer sessions into conversation-based talks about basketball after victories. Defeats are always tinged with positive reinforcement.
Nothing resembled a spotlight on Coach McNamee, who never took or takes credit for the team's success. It's all deflected onto players, including ones who drive practices but don't always receive minutes during basketball games. It reflects the exuberance now surrounding the program, which saw attendance spike as young basketball players dreaming about the game came to BC to recreate a positive atmosphere.
When BC lost to Virginia last year, Coach McNamee sat with her team and discussed a vision for the future. The open forum allowed both the coach and her players to chart a course for that point. Somewhere along the way, a new identity forged. And after a season of recognition for the BC achievement, there's now some elite hardware coming back to Chestnut Hill.
On Tuesday, the ACC named Coach McNamee as its women's basketball Coach of the Year. The unanimous selection of both the coaches and the media, it gives a special credence to the program, even if it felt like a no-brainer choice.
This year is perfectly illustrating teamwork above talent, how talent always improves through teamwork. It's a custom-fit for the BC mentality, which is deriving individual awards stems so much from team play. It redefined Boston College basketball, which enters this week on the cusp of doing something it hasn't done for over a decade.
We talked for maybe 20 or 25 minutes, but I asked maybe two or three questions about the team, the players and the ACC. I completely forgot to ask about her winning seasons at Albany or her experience as a national championship assistant coach at Maryland. There wasn't a single question about how personnel fit a scheme or vice-versa, and I never got to systemic questions.
I always assumed preparing for a basketball game steeped in prior success or general basketball know-how. I believed practice revolved more around fundamentals, that being better meant dribbling better and becoming more agile or a better shooter. Every attribute looked inward, but during that first chat with Coach McNamee, we didn't talk about any of that.
Instead, she talked to me about endurance, tempo, preparation, scouting and intelligence. She told me her system directed enhancement of basketball mentality and conditioning. We discussed how a team's cohesion lent directly to creating five different threats on the floor, each individualized but somehow a part of a greater team game.
It all stemmed from one word: grit. I walked out of the office dreaming of a meaner Boston College team, burning to defeat every opponent. I thought of the old Big East, the old mentality of the Northeast, and how embracing the challenge would become part of the journey. I dreamed of watching the Eagles' name grace the NCAA Tournament again, knowing it could happen if she was the right coach to excavate the geologic talents of the BC players.
I went back over old headlines from the past two seasons and found a trend in almost every interview. Almost every post and article referenced toughness, a revolution and a togetherness, starting with the first discussion of thankfulness among players and coaches amidst an undefeated start to last season.
It transitioned into talk about gutting out performances, bridged past scratching the tip of a talent iceberg. Early success expressed an achievement, but learning the ACC's grind ingrained a mantra within the locker room. The Eagles went into the ACC Tournament believing they had "nothing to lose," then approached the offseason believing it was one, continuous session. This season is the product of that mentality, of that shared drive between coach and player.
Some pretty unique things happened along the way. Post-game press conferences turn into banters with players, converting question-and-answer sessions into conversation-based talks about basketball after victories. Defeats are always tinged with positive reinforcement.
Nothing resembled a spotlight on Coach McNamee, who never took or takes credit for the team's success. It's all deflected onto players, including ones who drive practices but don't always receive minutes during basketball games. It reflects the exuberance now surrounding the program, which saw attendance spike as young basketball players dreaming about the game came to BC to recreate a positive atmosphere.
When BC lost to Virginia last year, Coach McNamee sat with her team and discussed a vision for the future. The open forum allowed both the coach and her players to chart a course for that point. Somewhere along the way, a new identity forged. And after a season of recognition for the BC achievement, there's now some elite hardware coming back to Chestnut Hill.
On Tuesday, the ACC named Coach McNamee as its women's basketball Coach of the Year. The unanimous selection of both the coaches and the media, it gives a special credence to the program, even if it felt like a no-brainer choice.
This year is perfectly illustrating teamwork above talent, how talent always improves through teamwork. It's a custom-fit for the BC mentality, which is deriving individual awards stems so much from team play. It redefined Boston College basketball, which enters this week on the cusp of doing something it hasn't done for over a decade.
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