At times, the head coach of a successful women’s basketball program has what can seem like an infinite amount of responsibilities.
In addition to addressing the needs of 12 student athletes, their parents, boosters, administrators and fans, Faith Mimnaugh also has to coach basketball.
“I always try to remind myself that I have to take care of what I can control first,” Mimnaugh said. “I try to always convey that to my players and remind them that as long as everyone does their role, success will follow.”
After 15 years as the women’s basketball head coach at Cal Poly, the only things that have changed for Mimnaugh are the expectations. The women’s team is coming into one of the most successful seasons in program history and welcomes back former Big West Player of the Year Kristina Santiago. The reigning Big West Coach of the Year is not afraid of confronting those expectations head on.
“I’m really optimistic about this upcoming season,” Mimnaugh said. “We have the talent and hunger to be better than last year, and I love how this team prepares for every opponent.”
Mimnaugh is by far the most successful women’s basketball coach in school history. She has been the head of the program for 15 of the 38 seasons in its existence. In addition to being the Big West coach of the Year last season, she also won the award during the 1999-2000 season. Her 2005 squad finished with the program’s first non-losing season in 13 years, and her players have been named to the Big West All-Conference Team 22 times.
“Coach sets the expectations high for us every season,” senior forward Santiago said. “We always know what she expects of us, and she does not accept anything less.”
Mimnaugh, a member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, said she knows what it is like to be a player. She was a four-year letterman at Loyola-Chicago and is still their all-time leader in assists. She also led the nation with 316 her senior year. Mimnaugh began her coaching career as the player-coach of the Newcastle Scorpions in Australia and moved on to be the assistant coach at North Carolina State. Then in 1993, she was named the head coach of the University of Evansville.
“The main difference between the players then and now is all of the distractions that college students are confronted with now,” Mimnaugh said. “It has really affected their ability to listen. We can call timeout and say ‘No 3-pointers,’ and doggonit if we don’t come out and shoot another three.”
While the player’s attention spans might have shortened over the years, Mimnaugh still loves building relationships with her players that extend beyond the basketball court and their time in college.
“I enjoy the relationships I made over the years,” Mimnaugh said. “Seeing the players that I coached graduate and go on to have great success other than in basketball is really special.”