New University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball coach Deandra Schirmer believes in a saying: "If you see her, you can be her."
There was little surprise that Schirmer was going to be a hot commodity during this most recent coaching carousel, after 116 wins and four NCAA tournament appearances in five seasons at Division II Valdosta State, but she wanted to make sure that everything felt right when she made the decision which led her to turn down overtures from two other Division I programs looking for coaches this offseason.
But on a Zoom call with the UTC administration last weekend, early in the hiring process, Schirmer looked and saw senior-to-be point guard Addie Porter on the call. Porter had been asked by athletic director Mark Wharton last week — the day that former coach Shawn Poppie had left for Clemson — if she'd want to sit in on the Zoom interviews that were about to take place later that week.
It was a bit of an awkward request for Porter, who was going to be breaking in her third coach in four seasons at the school. But Wharton wanted to show Porter and the rest of the team that the administration was going to do whatever necessary to find the best possible fit for a new head coach. So she mulled the offer over before ultimately deciding to join in.
After all, the administration had questions for the prospective candidates. But so did Porter.
"Everybody preaches culture, all coaches say that and say how important it is to them, but my main question was what does that really mean to you?" Porter recalled of the most important question she wanted answered. "How would you define culture, and how do you see you implementing that here at Chattanooga? I do believe that culture wins, and that's something that's very important, but it can mean something different to every coach so I just wanted to know her thoughts behind that and how she saw that taking place in Chattanooga."
Much like Porter, Wharton and the hiring committee were impressed — if not blown away — by the response of Schirmer, who has both the charm to win people off the court but the confidence and competitiveness to win on it. She went to college initially as a point guard, but once she got to Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kansas she also had Carolyn Blair-Mobley, who would go on to Oklahoma State, on the roster. So Schirmer had to do whatever it took to get on the court, which meant the 5-foot-8 new Mocs leader would have to take on a role as a relentless rebounder and finisher for the team. And she did it well, once grabbing 19 rebounds in a game and parlaying that into a two-year career at Division II USC-Aiken.
It's a similar approach she takes into coaching, a relentless drive that she hopes leads to success. Her initial roster at UTC will be one that will have a chance, with the only guaranteed loss being Southern Conference tournament Most Outstanding Player and first-team All-SoCon selection Jada Guinn, who has exhausted her eligibility. In addition, All-SoCon freshman guard Hannah Kohn is in the portal, but it's possible that she could return.
"I want to be the best mentor for these young women, I want to show them that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to, and I think seeing Addie Grace go through that process, I think those are rooms that our student athletes deserve to be in," Schirmer said. "Those are tables and discussions that our women deserve to be part of, and so to see her in that process and to do a fantastic job, it's empowering that next generation and that's something that I really believe in."
This season coming up will be one that features five seniors on the roster, including Porter and All-SoCon Defensive team member Sigrun Olafsdottir, who appears to be using her additional COVID-19 season. So they won't be fully able to see the entire process of what Schirmer builds in her time in Chattanooga — at least not up close and personal.
But what Porter says is important is that it feels as if the program is in good hands.
"I think she is going to do great things here," Porter said. "I think her passion and energy, you can tell she loves the game and when you have that love for the game and for the people that you're doing it with, I think you can be really successful."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.