Macy Holds First Press Conference
April 30, 2010 | Women's Basketball
April 30, 2010
GREENVILLE, N.C. - After being introduced as the 10th head coach in East Carolina women's basketball history, Heather Macy held her first press conference to address members of the media Friday afternoon.
Opening Statement
"Thank you very much. I'm ecstatic to be here.
"First, I would like to thank a few people. The first person I would like to thank is Chancellor Ballard. He has been super supportive. What a leader he is. Also, Terry, you have been so supportive throughout this process. I think Terry Holland and his vision for this program is exactly what our vision as a staff will be and the direction we're trying to go.
"Thank you all and thanks to the search committee for putting trust in me to lead this basketball team.
"I've had some incredible influences in my life and people who have supported, encouraged and pushed me all along the way. The first is my family. They are back home, I'm sure watching right now. They encouraged me and said to go for it. That's exactly what we've done.
"The other person I want to thank who has been instrumental in my development as a coach and has guided me along the way, is [North Carolina women's basketball head coach] Sylvia Hatchell. She got things started at Francis Marion. She was there 11 seasons and won two national championships. She continued to tell me throughout my journey there that I could do those same things.
"I've also worked for some incredible people. [University of Maryland Baltimore County head women's basketball coach] Phil Stern and [Elon head women's basketball coach] Karen Barefoot both mentored me.
"The first person who took a chance on me and who gave me my first job is Bobby Stewart at Pfeiffer University. Bobby says that I've proved he is the smartest man out there. I thank him quite regularly for giving a shot to a 26-year-old kid. Later on, we did some amazing things at Pfeiffer.
"The other place I'd like to mention is Francis Marion as well as its president, Dr. Carter. His ability to motivate and see things within that university enabled us to excel at a very rapid rate. His administration was also great.
"It was an amazing three years there. The players worked incredibly hard. We were able to do some astounding things, including winning the national turnaround program-of-the-year award. The foundation of that program is so strong. I know we'll look at Francis Marion later on and see it cutting down many nets and winning national championships.
"I got a chance to meet some of the East Carolina players earlier. I appreciate you all for coming to the press conference and supporting the vision of where we're going here. The players and I are all ready to get to work. I'm ready to hit the ground running.
"This is an amazing opportunity. I'm very thankful for this chance and am ready to get to work."
On The East Carolina Program
"Sharon [Baldwin-Tener] and her staff did an amazing job building and growing this program. I feel like it's a little different than the turnaround programs I have typically taken over. I'm looking forward to getting here, working with these kids, incorporating our system and developing these student-athletes as people and players."
On Accepting The Job After Coach Moore Resigned
"I'm excited to be standing here. That's the number one thing. I'm ready to be the basketball coach here.
"I told the players in the locker room that it is like the story of driving a car and looking in the rearview mirror. If you keep looking in the rearview mirror, you're always worried about what's behind you and you'll miss what's ahead of you. Right now, we can only see what's ahead of us."
On What Her Teams Will Be Like
"We will work incredibly hard. We'll put a product on the floor that you as fans and a community are proud of and will want to support. We'll be very visible within the community. We're looking forward to connecting the community with the women's basketball program."
On Making The Transition From Division II To Division I
"I think once you toss that ball up, basketball is basketball. It's still going to be five-on-five. I know the type of staff we're putting together right now will help make that transition a smooth one."
On Completing Her Staff
"We're moving forward very rapidly on putting a staff together. That's the main objective, along with getting to know these players."
