Gissendanner returns to coach La Roche again

“It’s simple: You have to have great kids to have a great program,” she said. “I’ve always prided myself on not only recruiting great athletes, but great people, because they make your life easier. It’s hard to coach with distractions. So, if you recruit good kids, good things tend to happen on the court.”

A former Post-Gazette Player of the Year and AllBig Ten third-team pick at Penn State, Gissendanner elaborated on her coaching style.

“You have to let these kids know that you care about them,” she said. “It’s not about basketball all the time.

“Sometimes, they might need to sit and just talk to somebody. Sometimes, it’s not about bouncing the ball around. You have to be in touch with their everyday life, because once they trust you, they’ll run through a wall for you. You build relationships first, and you worry about X’s and O’s second.”

Sans Gissendanner, La Roche went 11-15, 9-9, in 2017-18 and missed the NCAA tournament. Her goal is to return things to the way they were.

“I just finished my eighth year, and I’ve been to seven tournaments,” she said. “So, getting there is always a focus.”

Like all great competitors, Gissendanner aspires to reach the top of her field. She had hoped the move to LaSalle would have served as a career springboard, but it wasn’t the right time.

“I can’t speak for every coach, but when you’re coaching at a certain level, the goal is to get as high as possible,” she said.

“Being at La Roche for five years and winning five (conference championships), I thought it was time to go to another program and try to duplicate what I had been doing. So, that’s what I did. It didn’t work out, but, in my time there, I learned a lot. Now, I’ve brought that back to La Roche, and I’m going to continue being the best coach that I can be.”