COACH GETS “UNIQUE” INVITE TO COACH BOYS
Pueblo South hires woman to coach boys basketball team
The Pueblo South boys basketball team met their new head coach Friday on a video conference call to learn how a local hoops icon will approach her job while breaking traditional gender roles.
Shannan Lane was hired last week to join a short list of women in Colorado history to coach a boys high school basketball team.
“I’m excited for the challenge,” Lane told The Denver Post. “I appreciate South hiring me and taking that step. There are not a lot of high schools that would hire a woman as a boys basketball coach. Who knows if they even have a lot of opportunities? There probably aren’t a lot of females applying for those jobs.
“I just praise South for doing something unique.”
Lane is a Pueblo South graduate who starred in basketball before a four-year playing career at CSUPueblo. Lane’s first job out of college was back at South as an assistant girls basketball coach. She was promoted to head coach in 2008.
Lane built South into a girls hoops powerhouse with a 241-52 career record, five league championships, and four state title game appearances. She resigned in 2019 after 11 seasons, but her coaching hiatus wouldn’t last.
South athletic director Jarrett Sweckard sought a new boys basketball coach this spring.
One candidate stood out above the rest.
“Everybody knows (Lane’s) background in basketball in Pueblo, what a talented coach she is, and what she can do,” Sweckard said. “Several years ago, she mentioned that if we had another opening on the boys’ side, that she might be interested. That’s where it led. … She’s very competitive and has always been a student of the game. She does a great job with film and preparing teams for opponents.”
Lane joins about 10 women in Colorado history to coach boys basketball in the state, according to CHSAA, with Gail Hook currently leading the boys’ team at Erie High School. Lane is believed to be the first woman to coach a boys’ basketball team in the history of Pueblo high schools, according to the Pueblo Chieftain.
Lane is aware her coaching style might need adjustment to motivate young male athletes. Raising two sons, though, gives her confidence in a smooth transition.
“I don’t think like a boy, so it’s going to be a change, of course,” Lane said. “Throughout my years, I’ve had to change my philosophy. I just need to know what I have.”
The coronavirus pandemic has delayed Lane’s rebuild of South basketball, but she’s already devoured game film from last season. The South boys have a strong hoops tradition with a pair of Class 4A state championships (1995, 2001).
However, Lane’s projected 2020-21 squad lacks a significant senior presence. Deep postseason runs will require player development. Lane has embraced the opportunity to prove that great basketball coaching is truly universal.
Her offseason message to the Pueblo South boys signaled a new era of basketball at the school.
“I told the boys: ‘You better come in the best shape of your life July 1st’,” Lane said. “We have so much to accomplish.”