Louisville women's basketball coach Jeff Walz reaches milestone win

1 week ago 2

After a game during Dana Evans’ freshman year, Louisville women’s basketball coach Jeff Walz called her into his office.

He was upset that Evans had taken a certain shot after the ball was swung to her and wanted to know why she did it. Evans explained to Walz that she took the shot because she was open.

“He was like, it's for a reason,” Evans recalled. “And I was like, oh my God. OK. I mean, yeah, like that, but that was Jeff. ... I remember going in his office and I was like, nobody would ever guard me like that again. And it never happened again. So, it was helpful for him to say that because it was a reality check. It was like, oh, OK. He humbles you.”

Evans ended her college career ranked ninth in scoring (1,715) but never forgot her coach’s words almost a decade later. Every UofL player (current and former) likely has a similar story of Walz delivering a hard truth to her in a unique – sometimes not FCC approved – way. But the intent behind the delivery is what’s enabled him to get the best out of his players.

And 19 years’ worth of memorable sayings, conversations and hard truths have led to Walz picking up his 500^th career win after the No. 13 Cardinals (14-3, 4-0 ACC) defeated Virginia Tech, 85-60, on Sunday at the KFC Yum! Center. Coming into the weekend contest, Walz’s .770 winning percentage ranked first among ACC coaches and 10^th among active women’s basketball head coaches.

“It's 19 years of learning on the job, and I still learn something new each day, learning the importance of people,” Walz told The Courier Journal on Thursday. “It's not just all about the talent you have. It's about making sure you get the most out of each individual. And you can't do that if you don't have a relationship with them off the floor. If the kids know you care about them as people, then you can push them to be the best that they can possibly be, because they know you just want what's best for them.”

Arizona transfer Skylar Jones learned this recently but couldn’t repeat exactly what Walz said on record. But the one thing that was evident: He made valid points. Louisville is on a seven-game winning streak with only one of those wins coming by fewer than 20 points; and two of those wins were against top-25 opponents.

“It's been more of a rewarding thing seeing all of his yelling and his teaching starting to pay off because we look so good as a team right now,” Jones said. “We're only going to get better. So, it just shows us that he might yell and do all that other stuff, but he really does know what he's talking about. And he really does care (for) and love us, too. So, it's like, he's always right.”

Walz’s main message to his team this season is to not get caught up on scoring but find ways to contribute to the game outside of just points. The Cardinals are getting more comfortable doing that. They opened Sunday’s game against the Hokies (11-5, 1-3) with 13 assists on 18 shots while holding VT to shooting 34% from the field for a 44-27 halftime lead. The Hokies never got closer than 20 after the opening minutes of the third quarter. Laura Ziegler led UofL with 13 points, nine rebounds and three assists while Skylar Jones had five of the team’s 23assists.

The same level of selflessness and toughness is what led to some of the biggest wins of Walz’s career, though his fiery delivery wasn’t always well-received or understood in his early years.

“If we’re not doing what it takes to win, then he lets us know about it,” former guard Tia Gibbs said in 2011. “But we are mature enough that we don’t listen to how he says it but what he’s saying. He’s confident and he knows what he’s doing.”

As a rookie head coach during the 2007-08 season, he led the Cardinals to the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance with Angel McCoughtry as his brightest pupil. The Baltimore native had played for Tom Collen for two years before Walz arrived. Candyce (Bingham) Wheeler, who’s now coaching at Butler High School, was a junior when she left Xavier and transferred back to her hometown.

Under Walz’s tutelage, Wheeler and McCoughtry helped the Cardinals to a national championship appearance in 2009. Walz would get back to the national title game four years later after an improbable run that included beating defending champion Baylor in the Sweet 16. Fern Creek graduate Monique Reid helped the Cardinals get there and uses many of the lessons Walz taught her now as Bellarmine’s women’s basketball head coach.

“Just small details. Listening is key,” Reid said after coaching against Walz for the first time Nov. 30. “I think kids are a little different nowadays, but right now I'm focusing on them listening and buying in. Because when you listen and buy in, everything seems easier. When you think you know everything, you get out there and you lay an egg. But for us, we're in a situation where they have to listen to me, so they have to let me coach.”

If Reid is anything like her college coach, Bellarmine players would do well to listen to her. Whether the message was delivered in a laughing manner or via a tongue lashing, she’s learned from one of the best.

This story will be updated.

Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Jeff Walz joins Division I women's basketball coaches with 500 wins

Read Entire Article