WACO, Texas — In May, Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades outlined what made Nicki Collen a great fit for the Lady Bears head basketball coach opening with how Collen talked about basketball and the passion she brought to coaching.
"There's no doubt she's in coaching for the right reasons," Rhoades said at Collen's introductory press conference. "It's about her players."
But, what made Baylor the right fit for Collen to leave the WNBA and take over for hall of famer Kim Mulkey?
"Really, it was that conversation that day," Collen said. "Obviously, I was the one answering most of the questions, but there was enough conversation amongst the hiring committee that I felt like I was getting a feel for what it was like at Baylor."
Collen added, though, that her talk with men's basketball coach Scott Drew added to that, with her excitement about the opportunity and the move to Waco building at that point.
More than that, Collen was excited about getting back to mentoring players, something she'd missed in her five seasons coaching in the WNBA.
"In the WNBA, you manage personalities," Collen said. "That's what you do. These are grown women, you know that they are at that point in their life where, certainly, some of them are less mature than others. You're getting them at a time when you can help build their confidence and not just confidence on the basketball floor, but teach them about life after basketball."