University of Central Arkansas women's basketball Coach Sandra Rushing wasn't sure whether she could speak for 30 minutes Monday at the Downtown Tip Off Club's luncheon at the Wyndham Riverfront hotel in North Little Rock.
"They told me I had 30 minutes to speak," Rushing said. "I'm going to be honest, I don't think I have 30 minutes worth to say."
Rushing, who admits she is very competitive, opened her speech with her team's 59-46 loss Wednesday at Stephen F. Austin. The Sugar Bears (15-6, 8-2 Southland Conference) led 21-19 at halftime but were outscored 40-25 in the second half.
"We stunk it up on the road," Rushing said. "We got beat by SFA. I talked longer than 30 minutes, so they may disagree with me."
Rushing is 119-56 in her sixth season at UCA and 522-311 in her 29th season overall. She has led the Sugar Bears to two consecutive NCAA Tournaments (2016, 2017). UCA hired Rushing from Delta State University in 2012 to replace Matt Daniel.
But Rushing credits her players for her success.
"You win with players," Rushing said. "Players make you look like a great coach."
Rushing said she takes her philosophy from former UTEP men's coach Don Haskins. She coached the women's basketball team at UTEP from 1990-2001.
"Be who you are and do what works for you," Haskins told Rushing.
Said Rushing: "That's advice I try to live by. You have to be yourself and do what works for you."
Rushing believes her team can get back to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season, but she said the Sugar Bears have to improve offensively. UCA is averaging 62.4 points per game, which is eighth in the 13-team Southland.
UCA travels to Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday.
"We still have a lot of basketball ahead of us," Rushing said. "One loss doesn't define your season. Two losses doesn't define your season. Winning two to three games [in the Southland Conference Tournament] gets you back in the NCAA Tournament."
Other highlights from Rushing's speech:
• On her parents responding to her wish of being a head coach: "Be careful for what you ask for, because you might get it."
• On her playing career at Alabama: "I don't want anybody to boo me, but I played at the University of Alabama." (Rushing received a few playful boos from the crowd.)
• On coaching at UTEP: "It was a great experience for me, but taking a Southern girl to El Paso was tough."
• On coaching her players: "I'm dealing with 17- to 22-year-old women every day. Every day. It is challenging and fun at the same time."
Sports on 01/30/2018