Sunday, October 07, 2001
Five Questions with Melanie Balcomb
Melanie Balcomb is no longer an unsung success.
The Xavier women's basketball coach was a finalist for national coach of the year honors after her Musketeers went 31-3 last season, drubbing top-seeded Tennessee en route to the Elite Eight. She was asked to speak at the women's Final Four. She and her team were honored at Reds games and in parades. She has spoken at coaching clinics and various other functions.
Balcomb recently signed a contract extension through the 2007-08 season. She says she is eager to get her team back on the court, which she'll do Saturday when practice begins. (The team will stage its “Musketeer Madness” festivities at 4 p.m. Oct. 21 at Cintas Center.)
She took time last week to answer five questions from the Enquirer's Neil Schmidt.
Q. Has your life changed since the end of last season, maybe in terms of being recognized more often in public?
A. The funniest thing is, I've been invited to celebrity golf outings and a lot of celebrity events for charity that I was never invited to before.I laugh, because I haven't changed as a person. But it's been good because I get to do more charity things.
And a real positive is being out (in public) and being with recruits, and having people come up and ask me for an autograph.I know it definitely helped one day when I was out with a recruit at breakfast. It made the recruit think, “Wow, she's big-time.” (Balcomb laughs.) I know it definitely means increased exposure for the program when I'm being recognized in the community, or being asked to speak at clinics with hundreds of high school coaches there.
Q. How many times have you watched the tape of your NCAA Tournament victory over Tennessee?
A. Once.When I was on vacation in May.I didn't have time before then. The demands public relations-wise (for interviews and speaking engagements) were really big, then I didn't get a break because of the recruiting (season). So I finally sat down, relaxed, and watched it. I rewound lots of it to listen to the announcers' comments. I enjoyed it quite a bit. When things are bad or I'm at a loss, I'll use that as a self-esteem tape.
I'll tell you, I have not watched the Purdue game (XU's loss in the Elite Eight) yet. I'm not sure if I'm ever going to be ready to watch it.It took me a year to watch the UConn game (XU's second-round NCAA loss to Connecticut in 1999).
Q. How often do you play basketball?
A. Never. Not even in practice. I blew out my Achilles' (tendon) on the court four years ago, in the shootaround before our first postseason game (a WNIT game at Indiana in 1998). I have not played since.I think I'm nervous about it.(Team trainer) Jody (Jenike) told me to stop lacing up.
Q. Where were you Sept. 11 when you heard about the terrorist attacks?
A. Bemidji, Minn. (Assistant coach) Vicky (Picott) and I were there in a hotel; we had made a recruiting visit to a home the night before. We had just gotten up and turned the TV on. We were making calls to friends and family, making sure everyone was OK, because I have a lot of family back east.
We had a home visit (scheduled) that night in La Crosse (Wisc.), so we drove eight or nine hours, still made the visit, and stopped the visit at 8 p.m. to watch the president (on TV). Then we drove on to Madison, stayed in a hotel, then drove the rest of the way the next day to Cincinnati. We were basically 17 hours from home, and we made the visit to break up the trip.
Q. What book are you reading, or what Web sites do you frequent?
A. The only book-reading I do is of self-help or sports books, coaching books. I don't read for pleasure. What I've reading now is “Developing the Leaders Around You” by John Maxwell.
Probably my favorite Web site is the Women's Basketball Journal (www.womensbball.com). I use it keep up on what's going on, get updates on recruits — that sort of thing.
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Five Questions with Melanie Balcomb
