Nov. 29, 2011
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - In addition to being a master at breaking down film on foes and widely regarded as one of the best assistant coaches in women's basketball, Bob Starkey also brings this to UCF's basketball program: One of his greatest prodigies, Olympic gold medalist Sylvia Fowles, visited with the Knights last weekend as a favor to her old coach.
Fowles, a 6-foot-6 former LSU All-American, took questions from the Knights after their game against Harford about her rise out of the projects of Miami to becoming one of the best women's basketball players in the world. Fowles is the all-time leading rebounder in SEC history, won a gold medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics and was the No. 2 pick of the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky.
She made the trip to UCF to talk to the team and visit with Starkey, who worked with her previously during his time at LSU. Fowles said she owes much of her success to her former coach, and she thinks he can have a similar effect on the players at UCF.
"I felt like a big sister. I'm glad the girls have someone to look up to. They asked me questions about defense and rebounding. I'm looking forward to helping them out as much as I can," Fowles said. "Coach (Starkey) means so much to me and he placed a stamp on my heart. And it's not even about him being a coach. It's his personality and the way he cares about the athletes. He wants you to be the best that you can be. That's why I came here to show him some love."
UCF (2-3) hosts Bethune-Cookman (1-3) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at UCF Arena. The Knights are hoping for the return of point guard Aisha Patrick, who missed Saturday's loss to Hartford because of a death in the family.
UCF head coach Joi Williams, who sat in on the question-and-answer session with Fowles and her players, hopes the teaching points passed along will have an immediate impact on this season. The Knights are in the midst of a nine-game homestand and have big games in December at UCF Arena against Virginia Tech and Florida State.
"It's huge to have a player of Sylvia's caliber and someone who has that great of a relationship with Coach Starkey to come in and share with our players," Williams said. "She can tell them how she got to where she is now, and it's indescribable how valuable that is to players. They had a lot of questions, and I hope they got a lot out of it because Sylvia is someone who is very sincere and knows what hard work looks like."
Starkey, who was hired away from LSU by UCF this past summer, said he was flattered that a player as accomplished as Fowles would come to Orlando to visit him and speak to the Knights. Fowles was the 2008 SEC Player of the Year, earned her bachelor's degree from LSU in 2009 and became just the third player to dunk in a WNBA game in 2009.
"There's no better day for a coach than when a player stops in your office, picks up a phone and calls you or drops you a note. That lets you know that there was a connection past basketball," Starkey said. "It's always important when young ladies can look at somebody who walks the walk. Then, she can share with them parts of journey and how she has gotten to where she is now. I think it's like with parents and kids - you can tell them and they don't hear it; but when someone else tells it, they listen. It's great for players to hear it from somebody who has already gone through the process."
Starkey came to UCF because of long friendships with associate head coach Greg Brown and Williams and because he believed in their vision for the UCF program. UCF won Conference USA titles in 2009 and in 2011, and Starkey is convinced that the program can someday become a perennial Top 25 program.
"The fact that we have a staff that enjoys teaching and cares about players is everything to me," Starkey said. "Perfect example was (Aisha Patrick) calling Joi and saying that her stepfather had passed away and she didn't know what to do. Joi told her, `Here's what you do, you go with your family.' She didn't tell her to come and play and then go see her family. Not all coaches do that, but Joi cares about people. And I love the way (Williams and Brown) teach the game here. I'm loving everything about UCF and Orlando. It's living up to all of the expectations that I had."
John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.