Jolette Law: 'I'm a motivator'

Jolette Law was in Champaign for less than 24 hours last week, but that was enough time to chat with News-Gazette staff writer Tony Bleill about the state of her program. Between a trip to Greensboro, N.C., to watch her former team, Rutgers, in the Elite Eight and a trip to the Final Four in Tampa, Fla., Law discussed her first season as a head coach, her coaching style and the direction of the program:

How would you evaluate your first season?

I've grown a lot as a coach, as a person. I thank God for my ability to tap into kids. If I didn't have that trait, the season probably wouldn't have gone the way that it did. In the beginning, I tried to be the disciplinarian. But I didn't allow these players to see me, and what I was all about. It was always business. Ultimately, I wanted to change the culture. Not just wins and losses, but to instill my passion and my drive into them. I wanted to breathe life back into this program.

We hit some potholes, and a lot of it had to do with me meeting resistance, and standing my ground and not giving in. Even the thing with (Danyel Crutcher), a lot of people could have thought, 'What in the world are you doing?' Sticking to my guns. Bottom line, we're going to do it this way, and this is the way it's going to be. I'm not going to win at all costs. We lost some close games, and a lot of it came down to trust.

It's all about growing. They're closer as a team. They've seen another side of me, and I've listened to them. We had a (team meeting), and I listened. I allowed them to get to see me, the person, and let them know that I'm not trying to say that what you did in the past was bad. I'm trying to take you to where you ultimately want to go. I'm not looking down on you. I don't know if they understood what I was trying to do. I think they thought I was comparing them to Rutgers, and not looking at them as Illinois. That was never the case at all. It's about getting them to believe, getting them to trust. And on that part, I'd have to say that at first I thought I was failing – failing to convey that I'm not against you. I'm pushing you, I'm driving you. They didn't understand that. They thought, 'Oh, you're just punishing us.' It wasn't that. To get to where we ultimately wanted to be, I didn't need any individuals. I needed this to be a total team effort. I needed us to trust each other. I needed them to get to know me and my staff but most importantly their teammates. I think we did that, and it showed near the end.

After the team meeting following the Purdue loss, what did you see?

We got some things out (in that meeting). I undressed and let them see me. I shared with them my purpose and why I'm here.

God brought me here. I took this job sight unseen. I didn't interview in Champaign. I just believed in the vision of this program and believed in my athletic directors and believed in the reputation of this program. I didn't know anything about the team and it didn't matter because I had enough confidence in myself. I know the game, and I know my passion and my drive. I know if I could get players to want it, together we can do it. And it's going to be a process.

I said, 'Do you know why I was an assistant coach for 12 years?' That's me. I'm a motivator. I'm a driver. I push. I try to get the most out of kids. I try to see stuff in you that you don't even see in yourself. I've never cheated you.

I said, 'I've given you every ounce. Every day you've had preparation. We go up in this office and don't leave until 12:30 at night. I've never shunned any of you or looked down on you.' My whole offensive schemes and defensive schemes changed because I had to adjust to what I had. If you saw the Connecticut-Rutgers game (on Tuesday), that's what I'm used to. But if you don't have the personnel for that, you have to change. As a coach, I had to really study what I had and say, 'OK, how can I get the most out of this kid?'

So, over time, you felt you could be more of a ...

A hands-on coach, a one-on-one coach, a coach that didn't recruit (you), but paid enough attention to you to understand what you're all about. I think the person that got the most out of that meeting probably was Lori (Bjork) – Lori and Chelsea Gordon.

Overall, I had to do a lot of adjustments and a lot of self-evaluation. I took every loss personally. Some of the losses, I could have prevented, if I was all about winning. I could have sold my soul and let kids play even when they weren't doing what they needed to be doing. And we could have been in the NCAAs. But I would have had the same dilemma next year. With Crutch. With a couple kids. There was the Iowa game (in which Lacey Simpson was benched for the second half). After that, you gain respect.

They're closer to me, and I'm closer to them. It's not like, 'Oh, these are Theresa Grentz's players.' Now these are my kids. I didn't want to say, 'When I bring in my kids ...' No. You guys are my kids.

Even when I went to the Rutgers game, people were saying, 'Your kids played so hard. They responded, and they played for you.'

At Rutgers, Vivian Stringer will sometimes play mental hardball with her kids, such as locking the players out of their locker room for a while. Do you see any of yourself in that type of approach?

I did it this year. I took their clothes.

How long did you take their clothes?

It was about three weeks. They washed their clothes for two or three weeks. I didn't take their locker room. That was next.

I asked them, 'Why are you wearing Illinois clothing? What does it mean to you?' There were only two kids who indicated that they play for the tradition and the pride of this university. I had to let them understand what it really means, and how fortunate you are, to be on scholarship at this great university. And you're only required to practice 20 hours a week. I think we're really spoiled rotten here. Rick (Raven, assistant equipment manager) does everything for them. Let's see what happens when you have to wash your clothes and you have to get your stuff prepared and you have to find clothes that don't say Illinois. I was just trying to let them see the bigger picture.

Minnesota coach Pam Borton said the other day, 'Women get more scrutinized for being tough, hard-nosed coaches than men do. Women are supposed to be more caring, patting on the back and consoling.' Would you agree?

I think people expect women to be that way. The perception is we're supposed to be soft. And that's what most kids think. They'd rather play for a male coach than a female coach. Some would. The ones that are supposedly (tough will say), 'Oh, I love it when he yells at me.' But then there's some kids who don't like yellers and screamers. But people look at women coaches and think they're supposed to be the softer ones, not yelling and screaming.

I'm a coach. I don't want people to say I'm a woman coach, or a black coach. I'm a coach. Coaching, to me, is getting the most out of your players. You need to find out what gets through to your players. If your kids need to be yelled at, you yell. If your kids need to be stroked, you stroke.

What kind of role did Ron Zook and Bruce Weber play for you this year?

Major. I thank God daily for both of those guys. Coach Zook, there were times he would send a message and say, 'Coach, it's a process. These kids will believe in you, just keep doing it the right way and keep doing what you've got to do. Things will happen. Just don't compromise.' And then Coach Weber is saying, 'I've seen the changes you're doing with your ladies. Don't let up.'

It doesn't seem like I'm on this island by myself. There's a sense of community with the coaches here. I love the atmosphere, the sense of togetherness. It meant a lot to have two mentors who have been here. Coach Zook went to the Rose Bowl in (three) years. You've got Coach Weber who comes in and they go to the national championship game. I'm a sponge. My nickname is Spongy. I don't care if he just said, 'Paint your wall,' I'm going to listen.

I saw a quote from Coach Stringer the other day where she said of you, 'She's going to change the culture of the Big Ten.' What do you think she meant by that?

My style. My style is up-tempo. My style is disrupting, bringing people out of their comfort zone, and I think people saw a little bit of that this year. I love playing mind games. I'm a defensive (coach). I want fast-paced, exciting basketball, not walking the ball up the floor and pounding it in. Just putting a product out there that everyone can be fired up about. It's not walking the ball up the floor. Nobody really wants to see that. I'm ready for this conference to get the same respect that it used to. I played in this conference, and this conference was not like this (before). We were fast-paced and up-tempo and it was exciting basketball. I'm going to recruit players in here that are a reflection of me, and that's going to ultimately challenge other people in the Big Ten to go and get players of that nature.

Big Ten teams are known for being halfcourt, tall, slower teams. Are you seeking to compete with athletic teams like North Carolina and Texas A&M?

My vision is, I'm trying to take this program to national prominence. And I love the Big Ten Conference, but I want to compete ultimately with the Texases, with the Rutgerses, the Tennessees, the UConns. I hate when I listen to commentators talk about the Big Ten Conference. It's like, 'This conference is a joke.' I take it personally. When I played, this was the premier conference. I know what the Big Ten represents academically, with integrity, and we were always trailblazers. I want us to get back to saying, 'The Big Ten Conference is competitive.' I'm trying to change the perception of what people think about his conference. I want Illinois to be a household name, not just a Big Ten name.

Let's look ahead to next year. Do you expect all of the players with eligibility to come back?

That's what I expect. I'll have a meeting with everyone and see. But so far no one has indicated that they're not coming back. I hope so.

I know you're in a tournament with North Carolina next season. Is there any chance Rutgers would pop up on the schedule this soon?

Not this soon. Let me get one more class in here. Or two. I'll play her. On a neutral court. I'm not going there.

You're not going to the RAC (Rutgers Athletic Center)? You know there are a lot of people who would love to see you.

(Laughing) The RAC? Oh, that's weird. I'm scared (to go) to the University of Iowa next year. They spared me this year.

With regard to recruiting, how critical is the current group of high school juniors to the direction of your program?

2009 is the year of my nucleus, my base. These are the kids that I have developed relationships with and had an opportunity to get to know for a year. It was unfortunate I got the job so late. I did get an opportunity to get some kids on campus, but I had already been selling them to go to Rutgers and it's just tough. You're new, and some kids aren't willing to take a chance on 'new.' Now that they've seen it ... The 2009 class can see what I can do, to see the stamp I'm trying to use, my style.

Not that I'm going to take a lot of kids to patch up holes, but I need to get more bodies in here. I don't want to go through another nine-player season. But I also don't want to bring in a lot of kids right now that can't ultimately take us to where we want to go.

I think we've done a great job building relationships with the 2009 kids. Right now we're opening the doors in Chicago. We're getting kids on campus, bringing the 2010 kids in. I'm already down to 2012. I'm looking at junior high kids, eighth-graders. You've got to start young. You've got to.

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