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Blue Devils Welcome New Assistant Coach LaVonda Wagner
12/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 16, 2002
Written by Jordan Stringer, Sports Information Student Assistant
From her very first interview with Duke, the players knew she would be a perfect fit for the team. LaVonda Wagner, the newest addition to the women's basketball coaching staff as assistant coach, brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to the Blue Devils. Most importantly, she knows how to relate to the members of the team.
In explaining how she is able to build such a solid rapport with the players, Wagner said, "I think the bottom line is that they are in a situation where they are student-athletes. They are going to school, they are getting degrees from Duke University, and they are also playing in a high level-major basketball program. That's a lot of pressure for anyone and just being able to relate to them and their daily struggles-while also being supportive-is a big help. You just have to be able to talk to them and communicate."
In addition to pushing for more communication with the players, Wagner also enjoys speaking to those outside of Duke about the values of being a student-athlete today. In doing so, she hopes to act as a liaison between the community and the program, while also selling women's basketball to the public.
"If you can go out and talk about these young women in the program, then you are going to generate excitement, and the young people whom you are speaking with are going to want to come out and see them play," said Wagner. "As a coach, it's a fun thing to see."
Since coming from the University of Illinois and arriving as a member of the nations top-ranked Blue Devils, Wagner has already noticed a difference in the level of competition. However, the biggest advantage for Wagner in being at Duke has been the opportunity to surround herself with quality people.
"Its very exciting and it's an honor to be here, but the main thing that I enjoy is the opportunity to be around good individuals," said Wagner. "The players and coaches here are just really good, humble, hard-working people. It makes the job easier and it makes the job fun. It just so happens that these same people are also great basketball players."
While Wagner is quick to praise the skill-level of the Duke players, she is no stranger to success on the basketball court. Prior to coaching, Wagner was a prolific basketball and volleyball player for Mars Hill College, located in the mountains of western North Carolina.
At Mars Hill, Wagner earned National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-America honors in both basketball and volleyball for the 1986 season. In that same year, she was also named Southeast Regional Player of the Year and her district's Most Valuable Player. Being such a talented women's athlete has given Wagner a unique perspective. Since her playing career ended, she has been able to observe first-hand women's basketball's rise in popularity.
"It's a lot of fun to see it grow to where it is today based on where I came from and what I went through," said Wagner. "It's very exciting and it's fun to watch, but it's also a situation where I feel good about it; I feel good about where the game is going. There's just not one or a few great players out there now; there are a lot of them."
Duke's roster this year is no exception, as it is stocked with talent at every position. As the recruiting coordinator for some seasons during her stint at Illinois, Wagner has experience bringing in talented players and overseeing their development. She helped to guide two different All-Americas in Ashley Berggren and Tauja Catchings at Illinois, as well as three other All-Big Ten performers. Even so, she never experienced the national spotlight as much as she has since arriving at Duke.
"Duke is a program on the rise," said Wagner. "It's the top program in the country. The student-athletes and the staff that have been here have just done a phenomenal job of getting this program to the point that it is at today.
"When I played, I certainly wasn't an Alana Beard, who was in Sports Illustrated, but I still think having the opportunity to play a sport and be involved in a situation where your goal is to win-whether it's a national championship at any level-takes a lot of commitment," commented Wagner. "It takes a lot of pride."
In their 21-point win against second-ranked Tennessee on November 24, Wagner was pleased with the pride the Duke players showed on the court.
"People are going to be coming after Duke and the thing that we all saw against Tennessee is that our players went after it," said Wagner. "They wanted it, they attacked, and that's the attitude we have to maintain. We have to get after it because nobody is going to give it to us."
Despite the success of the team thus far, Wagner makes no assurances about the season. Bringing five new players onto a roster, which had only eight players last season, is a challenging adjustment for any team to make. While the upperclassmen have certainly been valuable in helping the younger players learn the system, Wagner recognizes there are still a lot of games to be played.
"We have a ways to go," said Wagner. "We have some improvements to make and some things to work on. Right now I think we're on the right track though and that's where we want to be."
When asked where she sees Duke women's basketball in the future, however, Wagner does not hesitate.
"Duke women's basketball is no longer the hunter. It's the hunted. We'll win national championships-no doubt about that."
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