Learning the Hawkeye Way

Oct. 27, 2013

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Newly appointed University of Iowa women’s basketball assistant coach, Lacey Goldwire, has taken the last two months to adjust to life in Iowa City, learn from a group of veteran coaches, and find her voice as a member of the staff.

The Oklahoma City native has made a seamless transition to life in Iowa City and enjoys learning more about her new hometown each day.

“My favorite experience here is hanging out with the staff and the team in Iowa City,” Goldwire said. “Whenever we have recruits, we get a chance to show them around, and in turn, I’m learning more about Iowa City myself. People are so nice and helpful that it has been an easy transition from Oklahoma. It’s a small town with a big city feel. Just last night I was walking downtown thinking, ‘How great is Iowa City?'”

Goldwire, who has a year of full-time coaching experience, has relished the unique opportunity in joining a coaching staff that has spent a total of 14 seasons together at Iowa. Seeing them interact on a daily basis and how they work together for a common goal has served as an invaluable learning experience. She has also been able to find her voice within the veteran group.

“My favorite experience here is hanging out with the staff and the team in Iowa City. Whenever we have recruits, we get a chance to show them around, and in turn, I’m learning more about Iowa City myself. People are so nice and helpful that it has been an easy transition from Oklahoma. It’s a small town with a big city feel. How great is Iowa City?”
— Lacey Goldwire

“I enjoy that they work in conjunction with each other so well,” Goldwire said. “They are so willing to share ideas, and if something needs to be done or something needs to be said, they just say it. There are no hard feelings, it’s not personal, they know that we’re all trying to make the University of Iowa women’s basketball team the best that it can be.

“They’re always looking for something new. I’m a new fresh face, so when I do have an idea, they’re always willing to listen.”

Goldwire has also learned life lessons from a staff that reaches far beyond the basketball court. Not only do they strive to accomplish success in the basketball realm, they dedicate themselves to their family.

“I find myself taking small notes on life in general,” Goldwire said. “One of the things that I’ve learned off the court about (head coach Lisa Bluder) is that she’s an amazing mom, and she splits her time evenly. She doesn’t forget about her family. That’s great for women and the players to see. You can still be a mom and have a successful career on the court.”

Goldwire’s primary duties include recruiting and working with the perimeter players in practice. Bluder is excited about the impact she can have on the team, and her ability to coach and relate to the players.

“Since she’s a little younger than the rest of us, she can relate to the players a lot better, and that’s good,” Bluder said. “We need that. I also think she’s going to be an excellent recruiter for us. I’m very optimistic about that, and she’s already making significant in-roads in that area.

“I want her to be more than a recruiter for us, and she will, but there is a learning curve any time you join a new staff. You have to all-of-a-sudden change your terminology and what you want offensively and defensively. She has to learn what kind of players I like and how we run our practices. There’s a learning curve, but she’s an eager student and is watching film every day with us. She’s going to be a great impact for us.”

The players have also responded well to their new assistant coach and appreciate the investment she has made in the program.

“She’s my position coach and is somebody that I go to talk to a lot of the time,” senior guard Theairra Taylor said. “I usually go every Sunday and shoot with her, so she takes time out of her personal schedule to work on my jump shot. She’s a great coach, and is a good addition to our team this year.”

On the court, Goldwire says she has been most impressed by the players’ tendency to go above and beyond with their dedication to hard work and drive to succeed.

“I’ll walk by the practice gym on the way to the office, and I’ll see them in the gym shooting, our managers rebounding and the shooting gun up,” Goldwire said. “They’re putting in extra time, and in turn, that gets us to postseason play. They go above and beyond. I’m enjoying working with them and seeing how hard they work.”