WBCA Thirty Under 30 presented by Marriott Rewards spotlight: Courtney Boyd

The WBCA celebrates Courtney Body, 2016-17 Thirty Under 30 presented by Marriott Rewards honoree, as she begins her first year as head coach at Clarke University.

Previously, Boyd was associate head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside where she was instrumental in the Rangers qualifying for the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament for the third consecutive season.

Get to know Boyd as she works to grow our sport.

1. Take us through the moment you realized you wanted to be a coach.
   I have always been a teacher at heart. Once I graduated, I found myself wanting to give back to student-athletes the way my coaches gave to me. When I realized I could use coaching to follow my passion of basketball as well as teaching, I knew it was exactly what I wanted to pursue as a career.
    
2. What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned from your student-athletes?
   Perception. If student-athletes are perceiving our message one way and we are under the impression we are delivering it completely different, then we are not doing a very good job delivering our message.
   
   Take a step back, and remember, as teachers, we have to teach more than one way to be successful in this profession.
    
3. What do you hope student-athletes learn from you — on and off the court?
   Humility and commitment. I want my student-athletes to understand the importance of commitment and what it means to their future. The more they commit themselves —situation being easy or hard — the better off they are going to be. Once they commit themselves, they will be able to reap the benefits of their hard work. I want my student-athletes to understand that hard work and commitment will take them further than arrogance ever will, and if they handle their successes like they handle their failures, I will have done my job!
    
4. Any tips on building relationships between a coaching staff at varied ages?
   Having a coaching staff of various ages can be a great advantage. This allows the staff to bring several perspectives to the table to form a great vision for the future of the program. Each coach brings something different to the table, so respect their knowledge.
    
5. What does it mean to you to be recognized as a WBCA Thirty Under 30 presented by Marriott Rewards honoree?
   Being a WBCA Thirty Under 30 honoree means a great deal to me. It is reassuring to see your work and commitment paying off. Also, we were nominated for this award, which is another humbling thought. It shows that someone else recognized us working hard for the success of something bigger than ourselves. Recognition goes a long way, and I consider this recognition to be a large one in the vision of my coaching career.

The WBCA recognizes annually the WBCA's Thirty Under 30 honorees. This recognition was created to honor 30 of the up-and-coming women's basketball coaches age 30 and under in the sport at all levels of the game. For more information on the award, click here.