OKLAHOMA CITY — Some coaches have a knack for getting things out of you that you don’t know you have.
Jennifer Alberding remembers that about Vic Schaefer.
It wasn’t until the then-Jennifer Thompson, a standout basketball player at Pearland High School, which is south of Houston, went to play for Schaefer at Sam Houston State that she discovered playing defense was the strength of her game.
Alberding sees Schaefer using similar tactics these days as coach of the Mississippi State women’s basketball team. She hopes the lessons Schaefer is teaching his players leave as much of an impact as the ones he taught her from 1990-92.
“He was a great coach,” Alberding said. “I think what is really important is for a coach to be able to know his players’ strengths and weaknesses, and he was able to identify what those were and really capitalize on them. In doing that, he instilled a lot of confidence that maybe a girl, or a woman, may not have at that point in their career. I think that made him special.”
Alberding shared those memories with Schaefer on Friday night following second-seeded MSU’s 75-64 victory against third-seeded Washington in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament’s Oklahoma City Regional at Chesapeake Energy Arena. She flew from League City, Texas, with one of her three sons, Asher, to see the game.
Friday’s game was the first time Alberding has seen MSU play in person this season.
“I have a lot of respect for coach,” said Alberding, who last saw Schaefer two years ago when her job as senior southeast regional director for William Blair & Company, a financial services firm, brought her to the Golden Triangle.
In her role, Alberding works with registered investment advisers, financial advisers and banks to assist them with product placement, marketing, and partnering to accomplish their clients’ goals.
“Has (Schaefer) made an impact on my life? Absolutely,” Alberding said. “I am in a role now I probably wouldn’t have been in if I hadn’t had that experience.”
A new appreciation
Alberding said she has gained a new appreciation for Schaefer and how he does his job throughout the years. She said it has been great to get to know Schaefer following her playing days, and that she sees why the Bulldogs have had so much success in his five years as head coach of the program.
“I see how the women perform for him,” Alberding said. “I think that is how we were. He gets that buy-in because they know he cares. That is probably the biggest thing for me.”
Schaefer said “it was really special” to see Alberding. He said there were only three players on the team when he took over at Sam Houston State, which was his first job as a women’s college coach, in 1990. Schaefer also said he recruited Alberding out of the newspaper because she was named All-Greater Houston.
“I give her a lot of credit. I give all of those kids a lot of credit,” said Schaefer, who was 80-99 in seven seasons at Sam Houston State. “I am a lot different today and have a much greater appreciation for where I am, what I am doing, and who I am doing it with.”
Not ‘lip service’
Holly Schaefer, Vic’s wife, said Alberding was one of several former players to visit with her family. She said former Arkansas players Kamara Stancle (1998-99), Wendi Willits (1998-01), and Shanna Harmon (2001-04) also were on-hand Friday.
“Every one of those kids is so proud,” Holly said. “He demands and he pushes because he sees the potential and they love him, and they don’t realize it until they’re done. They all almost feel a part of this, if that makes sense.
“…The love for Vic and our family and our program shows they have come to appreciate what they have gone through way back when they played for him,” she added.
Alberding can attest to that love. She said Vic Schaefer first won over her mother, Margie Hardcastle, when recruiting her to play college basketball, something she didn’t she think she would do. Today, she looks back and thanks Schaefer for impacting her life.
“It is like following family,” Alberding said. “He made an impact on my life that is hard to articulate, but I’m a much better person today because of him. The passion I see on the court today is the same passion I saw in him so many years ago. I’m sure that passion is clear to all who watch. What may not be clear to everyone is how much he cares for his girls. He really does care. It’s not lip service.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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