Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Q and A with WBB Assistant Coach James Janssen
5/14/2020 1:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Gavin McFarlin- Associate SID
The Davidson women's basketball team had another successful campaign during the 2019-20 season, setting records, hitting milestones and again being a force in the Atlantic 10. Helping the players and the program reach their goals and potentials was assistant coach James Janssen, who just wrapped up his third season with the program under the guidance of head coach Gayle Fulks. DavidsonWildcats.com recently caught up with Janssen to see how he has been adjusting to the new "normal", while talking about this past season and what he is looking forward to the future of the program.
James thanks for the taking some time to answer a few questions! First off, how are doing? Thanks Gavin. We are doing about as well as we could be given all that is going on. It has been nice to get some more time at home with my now one-year old daughter Charlotte, and wife Erika. Thankfully we have all stayed healthy through this stretch.
How are things with you over the past month after the coronavirus has forced many of us to change our daily routines and what is your "new" normal like? I'm fortunate to have a home office setup, so that has allowed me to do my best to compartmentalize my days. I've tried where possible to have some structure in my days. Our staff has tried to stay as connected as we can, so most mornings we kick off our day with some zoom calls. Lots more zoom calls to follow. Staying in touch with our players as they navigate the home stretch of the academic year.
Off-season is also about professional development, and with us missing out on the WBCA convention this year and other opportunities to interact with a range of coaches, I have enjoyed the ability to dive into many of the online webinars that have popped up over the past two months. Also getting lots of walks in with the family. Cooking together. Enjoying 'the last dance' documentary series.
What are some things you are missing right now due to the changes in our work schedules? Without a doubt I'm missing the variety of face-to-face interaction that we get when we are on campus, which I'm also missing the beautiful campus itself and the facilities. Our staff is such a dynamic group that I love to be around, so not having that has been tough. The April period is a terrific one to spend some quality time working with our players in developing their games and I missed being able to connect with our players in that way, and just being around them in general. They are an incredible collection of individuals, and it's hard not being around their energy every day. I miss my 'water cooler chats' with our brilliant men's basketball staff in the office, our athletic trainer Brian Wheeler, and of course our administrative assistant Terry. Losing the opportunity to get out on the road and attend recruiting events as well as hosting our camps was also something I am missing. These are great opportunities for us to connect ourselves with the wider basketball community and remind us of our role in promoting lives through the game of basketball.
Let's talk about this past season, what was your favorite moments from the season? This past season was certainly filled with a bunch of ups and downs. I think overall the fact that we were involved in some terrific basketball games was the highlight. Our comeback overtime win against LaSalle was a true sign of the grit and determination that our group is capable of. To follow that up with defeating them again the following week when hosting the first round in the A-10 tournament was special to see the excitement and togetherness of our group.
Our school day game in which we played really well in a win against defending champion Fordham also really stood out to me. It was a great crowd thanks to the efforts of Emily Hintz and the marketing department, and we played a complete basketball game, and made some great choices on the offensive end scoring a bunch of points against one of the better defensive units in the country. And… I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the Western Carolina game where we had an impressive showing from our whole squad, scoring 101 point and breaking a school record for three-pointers made with 14 (14/25!!!).
What lessons were learned during the course of this past season that you saw by the team and if any, by your own self? Lots of lessons to be learned from the season. 1) the importance of being steady throughout the campaign. With such a young group on the floor this year, we rode a bit of a rollercoaster with our results and preparing ourselves for the most difficult parts of the season is important. 2) there is no substitute for experience. The past couple of years has shown me how teams that have 'gone through it' together just have a different level of poise in the big moments. 3) We are more than capable of beating anyone in our conference.
You will be entering your fourth season next year, how have you seen this program grow over the past three years? It's been such an enjoyable first three years at Davidson, and time has flown by! While this year we battled several injuries that may have put a dampener on how high we ultimately reached, I think that it is very clear that there has been an enormous transformation in the past three years. Going from a predicted last place in the A-10 preseason poll back in our first year, to sitting in first place after five games and giving every team in our conference a shake, speaks volumes for how this program has elevated. Our players EXPECT TO WIN, and I can't say that was the case in year one. Our style of play has been on full display, with a culture of sharing and shooting the ball, and I think that this group plays with the joy that the Davidson College community wants to see out of their women's basketball team. Our crowds and community involvement has increased year after year and hopefully that continues. The talent level that we now have is incredible, with a slew of our roster capable of scoring in double figures in any given game, and I think the way that our players have been recognized by the league over the past couple of years speaks volumes to the work that they've put in and the splash that we are making in the A-10 conference. Overall, Coach Gayle has done an amazing job in pointing this ship in the direction that we want to go.
Looking ahead to the 2020-21 season, what do you expect from next year's team? I'm incredibly excited for the 2020-21 season. I mentioned earlier that there is no substitute for experience in the A-10, and this will hopefully be a positive with this year's group. All but one player on our roster next season will have been through the rigors of an A-10 season, and this can only help us. I'm excited to see the leadership from our upperclassmen, with six seniors that I think can all impact our program in their own unique ways. We have a great deal of depth across the floor, and a group that's skillsets really complement each other. I see us being a very potent offensive force in this conference. The non-conference schedule we are putting together is going to be an exciting one that will provide us with the challenges needed to get ready for our A-10 schedule. I think this team is excited, and determined to be in the thick of things competing for an Atlantic 10 Championship come next March.
Anything else you'd like to add? Last thing is I just want to add how fortunate I am to be at Davidson College and within our athletic department. To have the comfort in knowing that everything right now is being handled as best they could by our leadership in President Quillen and Athletic Director Chris Clunie is a level of trust that I'm not sure is shared so widely. I'm very thankful to be part of this… Go Cats'!
James thanks for the taking some time to answer a few questions! First off, how are doing? Thanks Gavin. We are doing about as well as we could be given all that is going on. It has been nice to get some more time at home with my now one-year old daughter Charlotte, and wife Erika. Thankfully we have all stayed healthy through this stretch.
How are things with you over the past month after the coronavirus has forced many of us to change our daily routines and what is your "new" normal like? I'm fortunate to have a home office setup, so that has allowed me to do my best to compartmentalize my days. I've tried where possible to have some structure in my days. Our staff has tried to stay as connected as we can, so most mornings we kick off our day with some zoom calls. Lots more zoom calls to follow. Staying in touch with our players as they navigate the home stretch of the academic year.
Off-season is also about professional development, and with us missing out on the WBCA convention this year and other opportunities to interact with a range of coaches, I have enjoyed the ability to dive into many of the online webinars that have popped up over the past two months. Also getting lots of walks in with the family. Cooking together. Enjoying 'the last dance' documentary series.
What are some things you are missing right now due to the changes in our work schedules? Without a doubt I'm missing the variety of face-to-face interaction that we get when we are on campus, which I'm also missing the beautiful campus itself and the facilities. Our staff is such a dynamic group that I love to be around, so not having that has been tough. The April period is a terrific one to spend some quality time working with our players in developing their games and I missed being able to connect with our players in that way, and just being around them in general. They are an incredible collection of individuals, and it's hard not being around their energy every day. I miss my 'water cooler chats' with our brilliant men's basketball staff in the office, our athletic trainer Brian Wheeler, and of course our administrative assistant Terry. Losing the opportunity to get out on the road and attend recruiting events as well as hosting our camps was also something I am missing. These are great opportunities for us to connect ourselves with the wider basketball community and remind us of our role in promoting lives through the game of basketball.
Let's talk about this past season, what was your favorite moments from the season? This past season was certainly filled with a bunch of ups and downs. I think overall the fact that we were involved in some terrific basketball games was the highlight. Our comeback overtime win against LaSalle was a true sign of the grit and determination that our group is capable of. To follow that up with defeating them again the following week when hosting the first round in the A-10 tournament was special to see the excitement and togetherness of our group.
Our school day game in which we played really well in a win against defending champion Fordham also really stood out to me. It was a great crowd thanks to the efforts of Emily Hintz and the marketing department, and we played a complete basketball game, and made some great choices on the offensive end scoring a bunch of points against one of the better defensive units in the country. And… I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the Western Carolina game where we had an impressive showing from our whole squad, scoring 101 point and breaking a school record for three-pointers made with 14 (14/25!!!).
What lessons were learned during the course of this past season that you saw by the team and if any, by your own self? Lots of lessons to be learned from the season. 1) the importance of being steady throughout the campaign. With such a young group on the floor this year, we rode a bit of a rollercoaster with our results and preparing ourselves for the most difficult parts of the season is important. 2) there is no substitute for experience. The past couple of years has shown me how teams that have 'gone through it' together just have a different level of poise in the big moments. 3) We are more than capable of beating anyone in our conference.
You will be entering your fourth season next year, how have you seen this program grow over the past three years? It's been such an enjoyable first three years at Davidson, and time has flown by! While this year we battled several injuries that may have put a dampener on how high we ultimately reached, I think that it is very clear that there has been an enormous transformation in the past three years. Going from a predicted last place in the A-10 preseason poll back in our first year, to sitting in first place after five games and giving every team in our conference a shake, speaks volumes for how this program has elevated. Our players EXPECT TO WIN, and I can't say that was the case in year one. Our style of play has been on full display, with a culture of sharing and shooting the ball, and I think that this group plays with the joy that the Davidson College community wants to see out of their women's basketball team. Our crowds and community involvement has increased year after year and hopefully that continues. The talent level that we now have is incredible, with a slew of our roster capable of scoring in double figures in any given game, and I think the way that our players have been recognized by the league over the past couple of years speaks volumes to the work that they've put in and the splash that we are making in the A-10 conference. Overall, Coach Gayle has done an amazing job in pointing this ship in the direction that we want to go.
Looking ahead to the 2020-21 season, what do you expect from next year's team? I'm incredibly excited for the 2020-21 season. I mentioned earlier that there is no substitute for experience in the A-10, and this will hopefully be a positive with this year's group. All but one player on our roster next season will have been through the rigors of an A-10 season, and this can only help us. I'm excited to see the leadership from our upperclassmen, with six seniors that I think can all impact our program in their own unique ways. We have a great deal of depth across the floor, and a group that's skillsets really complement each other. I see us being a very potent offensive force in this conference. The non-conference schedule we are putting together is going to be an exciting one that will provide us with the challenges needed to get ready for our A-10 schedule. I think this team is excited, and determined to be in the thick of things competing for an Atlantic 10 Championship come next March.
Anything else you'd like to add? Last thing is I just want to add how fortunate I am to be at Davidson College and within our athletic department. To have the comfort in knowing that everything right now is being handled as best they could by our leadership in President Quillen and Athletic Director Chris Clunie is a level of trust that I'm not sure is shared so widely. I'm very thankful to be part of this… Go Cats'!
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