ATHLETES/FITNESS Crystal Kelly: Bellarmine University Women’s Basketball Assistant Coach HOME LIFE Crystal was born and raised in Louisville, but she spent time away while playing professionally in the WNBA. She has worked at Bellarmine University for four years but recently accepted a position as an assistant coach at Tennessee Tech University. LOVE OF THE GAME Crystal’s love affair with basketball began at home. “Both of my parents played — my mom in high school and my dad when he was younger. I would go to the park with my mom when I was little, and we would shoot the ball. I just fell in love with it.” Crystal was one of the few girls on the co-ed basketball team in elementary school but didn’t realize she had a talent for the sport until middle school. “I wanted to go to practice and loved being in games,” she says. “It’s never been a chore. But mostly I played because my friends played, and I wanted to hang out with them. And then people started telling me I was good, and I thought, ‘This is all right. I guess I’ll stick with it.’”
CREATIVE SIDE Crystal enjoyed photography classes in high school, so she considered majoring in photojournalism. But she couldn’t make it work with her basketball schedule. “School was a priority, but I also had other things I wanted to do,” she says. “I didn’t want to do something halfway and not give it my all. Going into public relations instead allowed me to have a really good balance with everything.” Crystal still enjoys spending time with her camera and has a wall full of photos in her apartment. “It’s pretty much all my family and friends. I really like pictures of people surrounding me. It makes me feel comfortable.”
Coaching “brought my life
back into color. I think this is what I’m called to do.
BALL IN HER COURT By the time Crystal was finishing high school, it was clear that a future in basketball was hers for the taking. She was named Kentucky Miss Basketball her senior year at Sacred Heart Academy and participated in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-America game. “I was getting these college recruiting letters all the time, but my focus was to get an education,” Crystal says. “I wasn’t even thinking about getting drafted or playing pro.” Choosing to stay closer to family and home, Crystal enrolled in Western Kentucky University where she continued to shine on the court while earning a degree in public relations. She then spent several years playing professionally in the WNBA with the Sacramento Monarchs and San Antonio Silver Stars, and joined the Bellarmine coaching staff in 2012. “I love it,” she says. “When I was playing professionally, I was getting to the point where I was questioning if I wanted to do it. But coaching brought my life back into color. I think this is what I’m called to do.”
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ONE-TRICK PONY “It’s funny — I was voted most athletic in school, but I am terrible at every sport except basketball,” Crystal says. “I tried volleyball in school, and it was a mess. I’m really a one-trick pony.” Crystal still occasionally joins the girls she coaches in a workout on the court, but she primarily keeps fit by going to the YMCA. “I do step class, boot camp, Zumba — I love all the classes. As an athlete in a team sport it’s hard for me to go to the gym by myself, but in that group setting I can keep up with the class, or pick one person and say, ‘All right, it’s me and you.’ Now that I’m not playing, I feel much better — I’m not hurting every time I get out of bed — but I still like the competition and camaraderie.”
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POSITIVE THINKING Crystal credits her parents with raising her to be a capable, self-confident woman. “I got a lot of love from my mom and dad, and I always felt like I could do anything because they believed in me. They also taught me that whatever happens, whatever obstacles may come your way, you’ve got to figure it out and do it.” Crystal tries to impart that same philosophy to the girls she coaches. “I also talk to them about the importance of positive self-talk and about correcting those negative thoughts when they creep up and not letting them grow. Everyone struggles with that, and it’s something I’ve gotten better at as I’ve gotten older.”
TIME OUT When things get hectic, Crystal makes sure to take time out to recharge. “I will go take a nap when everything is going crazy or if I need to do something at night,” she says. “I know that I can get overwhelmed when I try to do too much at once, which isn’t effective.” She also loves going to the movies or out to dinner with friends. “I understand how important it is to disconnect and take time away from things. Whatever you have to do will still be there.”