Joshua Paveglio
DENTON- As the North Texas women’s basketball team lost their chance to win the Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI) when they were defeated by Appalachian State, 76-59. The team had just lost their chance at a championship trophy, everything seemed dark for the program, senior Terriell Bradley, one of the best players the program had seen in nearly a decade, had just played her last game along with many other seniors.
However, that wasn’t the case for Head coach Jalie Mitchell who in her fourth coaching season, took the program to its first non-conference postseason tournament since the 2001-02 season when she led them there as a player. That’s right, Mitchell had just made history in her coaching career that she had already attempted in her playing career when she took North Texas to the NCAA tournament at UNT. Her playing career at UNT lasted from 1998-2002 , she was later inducted into the North Texas Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.
“Me and all my teammates graduated together, and I had to figure out what was next,” Mitchell said. “Coaching was a different place, but it came with maturity and being able to relate to my players.”
She has plenty of accolades to go with her induction including, All-time leading program scorer, she was on the most winningest senior class in program history with a 77-39 record, and the 2002 Sun Belt Player of the year. Freshman guard Tatum Henderson said Mitchell’s experience in her playing career has helped the head coach better understand positions the players are put it in and creates for a better relationship with players and their coach.
“Coach Mitchell’s experience as a coach helped her lead as a coach because I think that it helped her understand us better both on and off the court since she has been in the same position as us before,” Henderson said. “It also allows us to trust her more as players.”
After a stint as assistant coach at UNT under current University of Texas women’s basketball head coach Karen Aston, Mitchell followed Aston to Texas and coached under her for three seasons. Mitchell wasn’t sure whether it was the right opportunity, but she knew she wanted to go for it, Mitchell said.
“To be a head coach at the time was a big thing, but I didn’t even have a desire to be a coach” Mitchell said. “it was one of those things where I knew I wanted to coach though, I ended up loving coaching.”
In May of 2015 Mitchell took on the head coaching job here at UNT, making her the eight coach in program history. Though She had made the full transition from a player to a head coach, it wasn’t an easy path, Mitchell said.
“I think it’s really tough,” Mitchell said. “Just finally making that switch from a player to a coach.”
In her first season at UNT the team went 11-19 after only having five wins the season before. In the following season Mitchell made history, winning the most games C-USA games since the program had joined the conference. The team continues to improve under Mitchell and that’s the primary goal for her, she said.
In her first season at UNT as the head coach the team went 11-19 after only winning five games the previous season. In the following season Mitchell made history, winning the most conference games since the program had joined C-USA. The team continues to improve under Mitchell's coaching and that's her primary goal, she said.
“The biggest thing I think is how we play every season,” Mitchell said. “I just want to keep training in the right direction and improving every season.”
In the 2018-19 season she led the team to 18 wins, the most in 13 years for the program and Mitchell led her team to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since she played, however Mitchell recognizes her job is more than winning.
“I do love being able to help women and I do think it's bigger than basketball,” Mitchell said. “I probably didn't realize that as much coming into the opportunity to be a head coach.”
As Mitchell prepares to enter her fifth season as head coach here at UNT she continues to learn more about her job as a coach, like teaching women about life, and even motivates her own players through her journey from player to coach.
"Her journey from player to coach is motivating to me right now because she id exactly where i want to be in the future," freshman Tatum Evans said. "Wanting to be a coach as well it motivates me to know she has the exact knowledge and tools to help me get where I want to."
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