Friday, January 27, 2012 1:12 am ET
Zenarae Antoine, the new Texas State women’s basketball head coach, recently took time to do a Q&A session with The Capital Sports Report. Her interview is about her sports career.
Zenarae Antoine (Credit: txstatebobcats.com)
TCSR: Why did you choose to attend Colorado State and then later Ohio for your two degrees?
ZA: “I chose Colorado State for a few different reasons. The coach that was there at the time (Greg Williams) is currently coaching at Rice. Before he was at Colorado State, he was a coach at Houston. I obviously had connections in the area, as my father attended The Colorado School of Mines. There is a familiarity with my family and the state. And I really liked the school and loved the coaches. It made it simply easy for me when I chose Colorado State over Baylor.
“After I graduated from Colorado State, I entertained the idea of continuing to play overseas, but I decided instead of doing that (of playing overseas) that I would go into my career. But a number of things happened after I interned with that company. They ended up merging with another company, so I ended up substituting at a local school to earn some money. At that time, I started to coach AAU basketball. After one year of doing that, my now husband, was working on his Master’s Degree and they had an opening at Ohio for a graduate assistant position. I knew I always wanted to coach at the college level – and I wanted to get a Master’s Degree, because my father has a Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering. I went back to get a degree in Athletic Administration. “
TCSR: Could you talk about being coached by Greg Williams and Tom Collen at Colorado State?
ZA: “Just before my senior year, coach Greg Williams decided to take a job in the WNBA to coach. That was pretty hard on me – he brought me to Colorado State, but the transition was so smooth when Tom Collen came in. Coach Collen has a great personality. We were doing very well under Greg Williams, but after Tom came in, we were able to take it to a new level. Obviously, having Becky Hammond on our team helped. Coach Collen did a great job with the transition. It was a smooth transition, and I’ve worked for coach Collen for the past eight years. He helped groom me for being the head coach that I am now. ”
TCSR: You are third in blocks and seventh in rebounds in the Colorado State record books. What does that mean to you?
ZA: “It epitomizes the person that I am. I didn’t start playing basketball at a young age, like most players, because I had a late start to the game. I had to really work hard – and was the first girl from my high school to earn a Division 1 scholarship. I’ve always felt that I was a self-made player. I started out at a mid-major, and then worked to turn Colorado State, at the time, into a powerhouse. We were ranked in the Top 25 and went to the NCAA Tournament. I feel the same way about being a coach. I am so thankful that Texas State has given me the opportunity to be a head coach. If you look at those stats, basketball wise, it was purely work. It took some skill, but it took a lot of work. I had to make a commitment to sacrifice my body and everything I had to go up and get the ball. Those stats say who I am as a person.”
TCSR: Your Colorado State team won two Conference Championships and went to two NCAA appearances. Could you talk about that time for you?
ZA: “Well, at the time, you are an active participate. Basketball is such a team sport – and I absolutely love team sports. I think, at the time, when you are going through it as a student athlete, you are working so hard that you don’t get to enjoy the fun that you are experiencing with your teammates. Of course, it is fun to be in the post-season, but as you go through it, you are working hard to help your team win. You truly don’t understand what it means until later when you are trying to take your team to a conference championship – you learn how difficult it truly is.”
TCSR: Your husband, Ronald Antoine, who is currently the wide receiver coach at South Alabama, helped you get into coaching. Could you talk about that more?
ZA: “I think that I’m very blessed. I’ve been married for the past 11-years and we’ve been together since I was a freshman in college – 18 years later. I think he really thought I should consider coaching after talking to me about it one day. He’s a great recruiter – and he told me that I could get my Master’s Degree – and get a start in coaching. I took a leap of faith, and I love basketball, and when you get done playing it, you miss it. I went ‘all in’ and I’m thankful for the opportunity. It all started with his advice.”
TCSR: It is very rare that two parents are coaches at any level. But do you guys share any advice?
ZA: “We never give each other advice on the X’s and O’s. We like to comment on the effort, but outside of that, we talk about today’s student-athletes. We try to relate and teach them the best way possible in life. That’s the one area we talk about the most. Outside of that, our coaching styles are very different. I’m very thankful that we coach different sports. It makes it easier in the household, but being that our seasons start at different times; we get to see each other play. We get to celebrate wins and get through the losses. I like that we’re in two different sports.”
TCSR: Could you talk about being an assistant coach at the College of Charleston?
ZA: “It was my first full-time job, and it had benefits, which was huge when I was younger. While the pay was minimal, I was thankful for the opportunity. My parents were happy for me that I had insurance and that I could tap into a 401(k) later on in life. I had an opportunity to do a little bit of everything while I was there. I really was responsible for the full gamut, but I had to do it with limited resources. You really need to grind when you are at that level to maximize your opportunity, as a student-athlete. ”
TCSR: You left Ohio to go to the College of Charleston. Then, you returned a few years later. Could you talk about your decision to do that?
ZA: “There was a familiarity there, because Lynn Bria was still there. For me, I got married right after graduate school, so my husband was coaching there. For the both of us to be at the same school, it made a good family sense for us. That was part of the decision, and to go back to help Lynn get the Ohio Bobcats rolling.”
TCSR: You spent four seasons at Louisville as the recruiting coordinator. At that time, you helped bring in the 26th-ranked class in 2006 and the 25th-ranked class in 2007. Could you talk about help bringing in Kodak All-American and 2007 Big East Player of the Year Angel McCoughtry and Kodak Junior College All-American Helen Johnson?
ZA: “The nice thing about Louisville, I had the opportunity to really learn how to recruit. I had an opportunity to recruit on a national level. Angel & Helen are two totally different players, but they are two special talents. Being a part of a staff that was able to put together a great team, it was exciting for us to see them make a run at the Final Four after I had left for Arkansas with coach Collen. I appreciate everything that Louisville has done for me, as a young coach.”
TCSR: Could you talk about going with coach Collen to Arkansas?
ZA: “At that time, I was going into my fifth year with coach Collen. There is a familiarity there, and as the time passed, he gave me more responsibility on the administrative side. Those last four years have allowed me to be the coach I am today.”
TCSR: What does it mean to you to be the new Texas State women’s basketball head coach?
ZA: “I’m overjoyed for the opportunity. I’m very genuine when I say that. Not many people have the opportunity to be a head coach. I truly feel blessed that my work in this profession is finally paying off. Texas State is a place, where I could see myself being at for a very long time. There’s a lot of good things here about Texas State that leads me to say that.”
TCSR: What are your future goals with the program this season and beyond?
ZA: “People have asked me that question a lot. My mission this season is geared to the senior class. Unfortunately, our senior class has never been to Katy (Texas) where our conference championship is. In our conference, we only take the top eight teams. It is my goal to get in the top eight, and to give these students the opportunity that I had as a student-athlete. I want them to experience that. Then, beyond that, I want us to be able to compete for championships. It is a process that doesn’t happen overnight, but my staff and myself are very dedicated to that task and share my vision for our student-athletes.”
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