Coach's Corner: Cecilia Demarco

By Sangeetha Ramaswamy

COURTESY SPORTS PUBLICITY OFFICE

Though the last nine games of the Yale women's basketball team have been rough on head coach Cecilia DeMarco, she remains appreciative of her opportunities as a women's basketball coach. Ten years ago, DeMarco and two other basketball coaches represented the United States on a goodwill basketball teaching tour through Africa, on which she helped train the women's national team in Somalia. "I felt very grateful for the advantages that we have here," DeMarco said.

During her Somalian visit, DeMarco constantly experienced the realities of a woman's place in a Third World country. "The temperature was in the low 100s every day, but I couldn't wear shorts except on the basketball court," she said. "I always wore sunglasses because it was not customary in Somalia for women to look a man in the eye." DeMarco also described how excited the Somalian basketball players were to be coached by a woman. "They'd ask me questions about my life in the U.S. They were amazed that I could move freely without a man, for example," DeMarco said. "It was an awakening for me."

DeMarco is optimistic about this year's Yale squad. "We're a pretty good team; we're not a team that lacks ability," she said. "We have to find a way to keep ourselves focused for a whole 40 minutes." According to DeMarco, the team has a strong group of athletes, but she said one or two of them will have to step up to become go-to players. "We lack a consistent performance from any one of our players," DeMarco said.

The coach's ultimate goal is for her Bulldogs to remain a force through the last weekend of the Ivy League competition, even if the title is a long shot. DeMarco also pointed out that none of the women's basketball teams in the league will be dominant this year. Looking ahead, three recruits were accepted early decision, two of whom are athletic rather than physically strong. DeMarco explained, "The wave of the future for basketball is towards players who are more athletic in their position. Our recruiting efforts reflect the change in the game."

While DeMarco acknowledged that women's sports do not receive the same recognition at Yale as men's sports do, she attributed the difference to society. "I've never seen any women's team get the amount of press that a men's team does," she said. "It will be a slow change." DeMarco said that her statement is not a criticism, but just a recognition of how sports publicity does business. "It's a cultural phenomenon, not a Yale or sports phenomenon," she added. "Over the past 20 years, there have been changes in women's basketball and in publicity." It's certainly better, after all, than in Somalia.

Back to Sports...