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PHOTO BY CHRIS JOSEPH TAYLOR
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Coach Bonvicini chats with players following the 2012–13 season in preparation for the season ahead.
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ICS# 130285 • Seattle University 2013 Fall Seattle U Magazine - 52 pg. 9” x 11” • 175 lpi • PDFX1a • G7_GRACoL Epson
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26 / Building Champions
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KACIE SOWELL forward / WAC Player of the Year
two scenarios. Either you’re replacing someone who’s successful or you’re taking over for someone who’s been fired. The SU job presented its own unique set of challenges. “I leaned heavily on my experience. I could anticipate issues and see them because I had already experienced them,” she says. Not only was the team she inherited transitioning from Division II to Division I, and yet to join a conference, the NCAA ruled three of her best players ineligible due to academic violations. Initially, they thought they’d be out for a few games, but the NCAA ruled them out for the entire season. The women’s team finished the 2009–10 season with six wins. Bonvicini knew she needed talented players. Because of established relationships, she was able to go into California and scout student athletes that could fit into SU’s academic and athletic culture. The changes moved the win column in the next season modestly, finishing 2010–11 with eight Ws. While the scoreboard kept the pressure on, it didn’t come close to the pressure the coach put on herself. “I thrive under pressure, I enjoy it,” she says. That same year, the Redhawks were voted into the WAC conference. Playing in the WAC conference paid off. The next season, the team’s turnaround was more pronounced with 20 victories in Division I and its first post-season appearance in the division. Bonvicini believes that if you want change as a leader, it starts with you. She knows that if she aims for success, her players will too. With expectations comes responsibility. And as coach, she sets a vision, not to be competitive, but to build champions in everything. Not just on the court, but in the classroom too. Her experiences shape the kind of coach she is today. “I understand my strengths and weaknesses. And I have a great staff. I have people around me that complement me,” she says. Her coaching philosophy resulted in the Redhawks second
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“I love how Coach B wants things fast-paced. Everything we do in practice she wants done quickly and accurately, which helps prepare the team for game time.”