Basketball legend Anne Donovan is a Hall of Famer, winner of two Olympic gold medals, a successful WNBA coach for 14 seasons, and Seton Hall\u2018s new women\u2018s coach.<\/p>\n
But 35 years ago \u2014 as a freshman at nearby Paramus Catholic High School \u2014 she was simply raw potential. Already 6 feet 2 inches tall, Donovan wasn\u2018t so sure she wanted to become the third Donovan sister to be a sports star at the school. \u201cI was very introverted,\u201d she recalls, \u201creally shy and awkward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her coach back then couldn\u2018t agree more. \u201cWe used to kid her that she couldn\u2018t chew gum and run at the same time,\u201d Rose Battaglia says with a laugh. \u201cBut the thing I noticed about her right off is that she never gave up.\u201d And then one day, the young girl gave a preview of her dazzling athletic prowess.<\/p>\n
An opponent had stolen the ball and was streaking for an easy layup. \u201cAll of a sudden, sort of out of the woodwork, came this lanky kid, all arms and legs, who caught up to the girl in a way that just didn’t seem physically possible, and stopped her from scoring.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donovan quickly displayed a very competitive spirit, Battaglia says. \u201cMoreover, she had a great presence. Her parents had taught her this: always stand up tall; don\u2018t slouch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, 6 feet, 8 inches tall, Donovan credits Battaglia with helping her grow to her full stature, both emotionally and professionally. The coach taught her the game\u2018s fundamentals from the ground up, rather than just dumping a big kid into the key to block shots and make layups.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a way,\u201d Donovan muses, \u201cshe drew me out of myself and into a game that became my whole way of life.\u201d<\/p>\n
So perhaps it\u2018s time for Donovan \u2014 who returns to New Jersey thanks to Battaglia\u2019s introductions to Seton Hall \u2014 to pass along similar life lessons. \u201cI\u2018ve always loved to teach the game, and I wanted to go back to college to instruct young women at this age level,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the pro level,\u201d says Donovan, who most recently coached the New York Liberty, \u201ctheir egos are in check, unlike the men. They\u2018re still teachable. But it\u2018s a whole different time in their development than when you get them in college. College kids are almost like clay.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2018s a maturation process that has to happen in those four years that\u2018s critical to a young woman\u2018s development. It\u2018s a point when you become who you are. I wanted to be part of that again \u2026 especially with what I know now.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2018s much more than just teaching basketball,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2018s not about winning, honors and accolades. Rather, it\u2018s about life choices and who they\u2018re developing into as young women. It\u2018s very humbling to be part of that.”<\/p>\n
Donovan says her style has changed a lot since she last coached college players \u2014 from 1989 to 1997 \u2014 at Old Dominion University (where she had been the first Naismith College Player of the Year) and East Carolina University. \u201cI was a tough nut back then.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of Donovan\u2018s prot\u00e9g\u00e9s, Shay Hayes, remembers her coach\u2018s standards well. Now in her first season as an assistant coach for the ECU team, Hayes was a standout under Donovan during three seasons. Her first impression: \u201cShe\u2018s tall. But I looked up to her in two ways, with tremendous respect for her record and, of course, because of her height.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hayes\u2018 second impression: \u201cShe\u2018s tough. She demands a lot of you. She wants to get the best out of you and that\u2018s what\u2018s she expects.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another ECU star, Danielle Blackman, believes this uncompromising trait is what makes winners. \u201cA lot of people wouldn\u2018t think it would be such a simple thing,\u201d Blackman says, \u201cbut when you put high expectations on players it brings out the best in them.\u201d<\/p>\n
One reason this work ethic resonated with Blackman was because of her own determination as a player who stands just 5 feet, 2 inches tall. \u201cImagine how much I had to go through to play on the college level,\u201d she says. \u201cHigh expectations? I just loved that. That\u2018s how I learned to play and to excel. Those are the things I grew up knowing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blackman became Donovan\u2018s assistant coach at ECU in the 1990s and is now a lifelong friend. But her old coach continues to offer guidance. Blackman remembers a successful team she coached a few years ago that was 30 and 1, and in the midst of a state playoff run. \u201cI called her up and said,<\/p>\n
\u2018I need a couple of new out-of-bounds plays.\u2019 \u201d They worked perfectly.<\/p>\n
Battaglia recalls a successful series of plays that reveal another aspect of Donovan\u2018s character.<\/p>\n
During a scrimmage, Battaglia had called a full-court press \u2014 positioning Donovan to flummox an opponent trying to put the ball in play. \u201cThat poor young lady had to call at least 10 timeouts,\u201d Battaglia remembers, \u201cbecause Donovan blocked every attempt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, Donovan came over and said, \u201c \u2018Coach, can we take the press off?\u2018 \u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Why?\u2019 Battaglia wanted to know, \u2018it\u2018s working perfectly.\u2019 Responded Donovan: \u2018You\u2018re not looking into her eyes. I am.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat that revealed,\u201d Battaglia says, \u201cis that she is a competitor, yet she has a kind heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donovan is both a teacher and a player\u2018s coach, Battaglia says, noting that Donovan has always sought to improve. \u201cWhat she didn\u2018t know she wanted to learn.\u201d As to her future at Seton Hall, Battaglia says, \u201cShe\u2018ll do fine. And I\u2018ll be there at every home game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bob Gilbert is a freelance writer in Connecticut.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Basketball star Anne Donovan returns to her New Jersey roots to coach at Seton Hall. Basketball legend Anne Donovan is a Hall of Famer, winner of two Olympic gold medals, a successful WNBA coach for 14 seasons, and Seton Hall\u2018s new women\u2018s coach. But 35 years ago \u2014 as a freshman at nearby Paramus Catholic…<\/p>\n