Last season, the Lady Apaches basketball team’s old assistant coach helped the ladies end their season with a 21-9 record, with the new assistant coach, it is going to be a whole new ball game.
Lakeisha Grant, former assistant coach for TJC Women’s Basketball, was the coach for six months last season. Grant left TJC because she wanted to pursue other career opportunities.
“I am actually trying to go overseas and play for the WNBA,” Grant said.
While she is trying to do that, she is also working at a bank and going to school for her teaching certification.
“I enjoy coaching, but right now I wanted to try this and if nothing happens then later become a high school basketball coach,” Grant said.
“When giving advice, I would say be a coach first, then be a friend someone the ladies can feel like they can come and talk to,” Grant said.
“She is absolutely correct. I am not here to be a friend,” said new assistant coach Tenechia Gittens. “Being a coach first will get more respect than being a friend first.”
Coach Gittens is from Montreal Quebec, Canada.
“Some friends of mine told me about her and said she was interested in coaching. So I called her up, and she sent me her resume and she was the best candidate,” Coach Tills-Jones said.
“Coach Jones’s philosophy and the atmosphere is why I really wanted to work for her,” Gittens said.
“Coach Gittens is older so she is mature and that is one of the reasons she qualifies for the job,” Till-Jones said.
Gittens has previous coaching experiences in the Amateur Athletic Union, high school boys and girls, and also at the Boys & Girls Club. Coach Gittens is looking forward to winning some games.
“Coach Jones has been here for almost 10 years, and I want to help add to her wins,” Gittens said. “Because I know what to expect I want the ladies to understand that I know what it takes to get to where they are trying to go, and most importantly, concentrate on school.”
