UNLV Lady Rebels Head Coach Lindy La Rocque: "I View Myself As An Educator"

The UNLV Lady Rebels women's basketball team is set to kick off their Mountain West Conference schedule soon. We have heard from both head football coach Dan Mullen and men's head basketball coach Josh Pastner on what it was like returning to coaching with all the changes to college sports. However, women's basketball coach Lindy La Rocque brings a different perspective, having been tenured in Vegas for about half a decade. As a head coach, she has sustained success despite all the changes she has had to endure and adapt to over the past few years. She gave her take on the changes to the sport when she spoke to the official website of UNLV.

UNLV Lady Rebels Women's Basketball Head Coach Lindy La Rocque On Adapting To The New College Basketball Model

“I’ve told a lot of people that my personal opinion of how the new model is working and where things are going doesn’t really matter," La Rocque said. "This is what’s happening, and you either have to figure it out, adapt, and make it part of your strategy or you probably need to find another line of work. Because one thing we’ve learned throughout history is that we never go backward.”

La Rocque On Being An Educator And A Coach

"I view myself as an educator, which is part of being a coach. So to me, the isn’t any different than a teacher having to learn new technologies to reach their students. My mindset is you can continue to complain about it and get left behind, or you can figure it out and make [the new system] work for you.

The simple fact is the horse is out of the barn. So you better get on it before it runs away — or start chasing a different animal."

La Rocque On The Positives Of The Transfer Portal

"I believe there are positives in pretty much everything. For example, the transfer portal. I think the intent is to allow our young athletes the chance to find where they feel is the right place for them. That’s a positive.

There’s also a much shorter recruitment period now, which is positive from a time standpoint — but it also can be risky. You have to do a lot of information gathering and research in a three-week window when you used to have three months, if not three years."

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