Determination, heart, confidence: CMU alumna speaks about leadership as basketball coach
Kathy McGee wanted to play on the basketball team when she first came to Central Michigan University.
She could not because of a conflicting scholarship. But more than 30 years later, McGee has had a chance to be a part of CMU basketball.
McGee coached for more than three decades in multiple jobs before taking a position as a women’s assistant basketball coach two years ago.
What it all comes down to is determination, heart and confidence, she said.
“Leadership is not a goal. It’s a way of reaching a goal,” McGee said. “Leaders win and winners lead.”
McGee, a CMU alumna, spoke Tuesday as the 2009 guest speaker for the Marge Bulger Sport History Lecture Series.
To define leadership, McGee used three personal stories about people she coached.
Nikki, a participant of the basketball camp McGee coached at, did not make her 5th grade basketball team. Through her determination, Nikki made the team the next year.
“I’ve never seen anyone so passionate about a team,” McGee said. “She was a perfect example of leadership in a young person.”
During McGee’s tenure as a coach at Powers Catholic High School in Flint, one player, Liz, showed more heart than anyone else.
“She was the leader of the basketball team but, then, she tore her ACL,” McGee said.
Although Liz’s ACL healed, her father found her dead in her room later that year. She died from complications with a heart valve. The team was crushed, but determined to win the state championship for the team and for Liz — a goal they accomplished.
“There wasn’t a dry eye in the place when they raised that trophy,” McGee said.
The third characteristic, confidence, was shown to McGee through a young boy named Lance, who had cerebral palsy.
“He never missed a practice,” McGee said.
Lance’s disability did not stop him, but kept him confident to do all that he could, she said.
About 150 students attended to see McGee speak.
“I enjoyed her stories, particularly the injury story. For the theme, it went very well with the rest of the story,” said Berkley junior Eric Steplitus. “They picked a good candidate to speak.”
The CMU women’s basketball team was in attendance in support of their assistant coach.
