Posted by - Wed, Nov 29, 2006 - [Women's Basketball] - Viewed 461 times
To see the impact Leah Seevers had on the MilliganCollege women’s basketball team one year ago, all one had to do was look at a boxscore.
Seevers, a senior from Angola, Ind., was the Lady Buffs’ leading scorer at 12.2 points per game. She also grabbed 5.1 rebounds per game and averaged 3.2 assists to earn third-team All-Appalachian Athletic Conference honors.
While impressive numbers won’t show up beside Seevers’ name this season, her impact on the Milligan team could be greater. She was hired as an assistant coach to Rich Aubrey before the season. It produces an interesting dynamic since some of Seevers’ closest friends are former teammates.
“It’s definitely different,” said Seevers. “The hardest part is trying to balance the friendship because we all are so close, and then being more of a coach. These girls are some of my best friends. We still hang out on the weekends and I don’t treat them like a coach then. During the games and practice, you talk to them differently. They’re still my friends and I’m happy to still be part of the team.”
Former Daniel Boone standout Kacie Letterman was a teammate of Seevers for two years. Letterman likes having someone on the coaching staff who has participated in the team’s practices and games.
“It’s special because I know her and she knows me,” said Letterman. “She knows how I play and how I can play. She can say, ‘You are getting the job done or you’re not getting the job done.’ It’s weird to call her coach Seevers, but we have somebody to relate to. When you are having a rough game, she’s been there. It makes it easier.”
On the bench and in the film room beside Aubrey, Seevers has seen games from a new perspective.
“It’s different when you sit and watch the game than when you are playing it,” said Seevers. “You can see what they are running defensively. You can see how our offense is working and the spacing. It’s different having that viewpoint than trying to figure it out while you’re out there. It’s made me appreciate more what coach Aubrey did for us.
“You can’t just watch the game anymore, you have to analyze it. When you are a player, you look at the film and just want to see the good things. As a coach, you want to see the things you need to fix as well as the good things.”
As someone who played a year ago, Seevers is up to date on the Milligan gameplan. Aubrey said it gives her an insight that someone who played for him even 10 years ago wouldn’t have.
“There’s no question some things have changed over the past few years,” said Aubrey. “Leah has a good understanding of what we want our post players to do. She is a big help in that area. Fundamentally, she was very sound in the post. She learned our system extremely well and she understands the post’s role in that system. She’s been a great addition.”
The Lady Buffaloes are off to a 1-3 start this season. However, two of the losses were against NAIA ranked opponents and the other loss was against NCAA Division II Pfieffer.
Tonight the Lady Buffs go on the road for their conference opener at Tennessee Wesleyan (5-2). They return home Saturday to host Virginia Intermont. Including the postseason tournament, the Lady Buffs went 5-0 against those league rivals last season.
“It’s always tough to go to Wesleyan and win,” said Aubrey. “They have very good talent and it’s going to be a challenge. We went down there last year and won a tough game. It’s going to be tough to repeat that effort.”
