Darcie Vincent
Darcie Vincent isn’t very good at losing.
That fact was well established when she took the job as women’s basketball coach at Appalachian State nearly three years ago.
In her first coaching job at Slippery Rock, she took a program that won two games her first season to a 23-win season three years later. She went on to win 212 games and an NCAA Division II championship in eight seasons at California (Pa.).
Now she’s winning at Appalachian State, which has settled into first place in the Southern Conference.
But what she has learned – through the turnarounds and success in 15 years of coaching – is that winning takes different forms.
“I’ve learned to appreciate what can happen – and I don’t just mean winning, and I really don’t like using that word – but rather being successful in having goods kids to work with, having them graduate, not getting into trouble, being part of the community.
“There’s so much more to the picture of life than athletics. I’ve learned to appreciate success that these girls have and the hard work that goes into it.
“I think, as I get older, I start to realize that what you have is because you’ve been blessed with it. You appreciate the gifts that God has blessed us all with.
“It’s like the connection with this team here, it’s unbelievable. These kids are amazing individuals…. That’s a gift I’ve been blessed with. I turned 40 last year, and maybe I’m getting sentimental, but it’s the growth of life and you realize that you have these influences. There are certain things with young ladies when sometimes their life is going the wrong way and you realize you have the opportunity to help change that. It’s something I really appreciate being part of.”
Read more on Darcie Vincent in Tuesday’s Winston-Salem Journal.