Legette-Jack ‘dedicated to the game’

There might not be enough words in the English language to describe Felisha Legette-Jack. But that doesn’t stop people from trying.\nIntensity. Passion. Energy. Dedication. Inspiration. Enthusiasm. Pride. \nThese are just a few of the words assistant coaches, players and even Legette-Jack herself used to describe the personality and attitude of the second-year head coach of the IU women’s basketball team.\nThere is one word, however, separate from all the rest, that assistant coach Marc Wilson used to describe the woman who led IU to a 19-14 record in her first season in Bloomington: \nGiving.\n“I think she is very, very giving,” Wilson said. “Good, bad or indifferent. Because she gives a lot, I think she gives a lot back.”\nWilson said that kind of attitude reflects on the program, not just Legette-Jack’s character. \n“People probably won’t understand how much time she put in with the program, and then outside of it,” Wilson said. “She wants this program, the women’s side of it, to just fly.”\nBut those other words certainly apply, too. \n“She’s dedicated to the game,” Wilson said. “I think sometimes these kids don’t understand what she’s trying to give them, because she’s giving back knowledge and wisdom. And not only just in basketball, but in life.”\nLegette-Jack herself said that is what she’s trying to give to her team. \nShe said she learned much of what she tries to pass on from her mother, who had a profound influence on her life. \n“Basketball is a microcosm of life,” Legette-Jack said from her office just feet from Branch McCracken Court. “You coach the game, you develop the kids, so that they can go out there and empower others through what they learned here and become whatever they gotta become out there.\n“My mom always taught me that what you give out is necessary, because that’s what’s on your spirit. When they get it, and if they ever get it, that’s just the icing on the cake. But you can’t do it because you want them to get it. You do it because it’s on your spirit.”\nFreshman guard Andrea McGuirt said she understands that what Legette-Jack teaches her players extends beyond the court. \n“I was drawn to the program by coach Jack,” McGuirt said. “She is a real inspiration and has a love for the game. She develops people beyond the court and has a real vision for the program.”\nIU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan has yet another word to describe Legette-Jack: \nFeisty.\n“I use ‘feisty’ in the best terms,” he said. “She views herself as a winner. I think she sees winning as a byproduct of really hard work.”\nGreenspan said Legette-Jack’s passion is not limited to what she does on the basketball court.\n“She’s a very talented person,” Greenspan said. “She has a very dynamic way about her. I think she’s demonstrated a very high energy level, both in terms of her work and her lifestyle.”\nInspiration and passion are trademarks for Legette-Jack, who has taken those qualities with her to stops as a player or assistant coach at Syracuse, Michigan State and even the U.S. National Team. \nIn the Hoosiers 2007-2008 media guide, Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie – under whom Legette-Jack worked at Michigan State – called her former assistant dynamic, passionate and “a tremendous addition” to IU. Legette-Jack herself admitted her competitive fire has been burning throughout her entire career, beginning as a player at Syracuse. \n“I was a freshman who desired to start, and I’d be angry if I didn’t,” she said. Her Big East Rookie of the Year award in 1985 seems to corroborate that statement. So do the 1,526 points and 927 rebounds she tallied while at Syracuse, good for second and first in Orange women’s basketball history, respectively. \nLegette-Jack’s attitude has not wavered. \nHer practices are high-energy, to say the least. She constantly pushes her players to get better, challenging them both physically and mentally. She demands hard work and dedication. \nBut when practice is over, she turns back on the infectious smile. Greenspan said there is a running joke in the Athletics office that Legette-Jack “never has a bad day.” \nAnd through it all, she never stops teaching. \nIt reflects on her players, who say her passion bleeds off easily on them.\n“I’m a warrior for coach Jack,” freshman guard Jori Davis said. “That’s what I’m here for. So whatever she wants me to do, I’m going to go out and do it to the best of my ability.”\nMcGuirt agreed. \n“We see that in her and it inspires that same level of passion in us,” McGuirt said. \nBut it isn’t just about coaching for Legette-Jack. It’s about respecting something that has had a profound impact on her life. \n“This little round thing has done something for my family and me to help us get to a position we’ve never dreamt of,” Legette-Jack said. “So I’ve got to respect it enough to care with all of me. And when you care with all of you, it reduces you to an emotion. And my emotion is enthusiasm.”\nDespite the varied places – Syracuse, Michigan State, Croatia – the game of basketball has taken Legette-Jack, she said she still gets goosebumps when she walks onto a court. \n“Does it ever stop? Is it supposed to stop?”\nAnd that attitude is just part of what makes the eighth head coach in IU women’s basketball history all those words her colleagues and players use to describe her. But there is perhaps one more that Legette-Jack herself used that should be included: \nLove. \n“I love life,” she said. “I love waking up in the morning. I love kissing my son and husband good morning. I love being in that gym, and empowering, hopefully inspiring kids to be something better than themselves.”\n-Staff writer Brian Buckey contributed to this report.