With the way her long career in basketball has unfolded, it’s quite possible that University at Buffalo women’s head basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack’s favorite song is Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind.” Or maybe it’s Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind.”
Either way, the state of New York has played a significant role in a number of Legette-Jack’s most memorable moments on the basketball court over the past 30 years. Currently, her Bulls are 10-1 and, as of last week, were the last team not from a Power 5 conference to be undefeated. The team’s hot start comes on the heels of the Bulls making a magical run through the Mid-American Conference Tournament last March to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the school’s history. During the run, the Bulls, who were the No. 8 seed, defeated each of the last three conference tournament champions in each of the final three rounds to claim the trophy. Before her stop in Buffalo, the Syracuse native had successful head coach stints at the University of Indiana and at Hofstra University in Long Island. As a player, Legette-Jack finished her Syracuse University career as the Orange’s all-time leader in points and rebounds at the time of her graduation in 1989.
Today is our second edition of “Coachspeak,” where we have an extensive talk one-on-one with some of the biggest names and up-and-coming stars on the sidelines in college basketball. Enjoy our interview with Coach Jack, and in each subsequent week, we’ll invite a new interview subject for a conversation about the ins and outs of coaching in the college game and beyond.
