First-year Houma Christian School girls basketball coach Kathy Luke often talks about the generational gap she experiences on a daily basis when interacting with her young athletes.
“They don’t know who Bruce Springsteen is,” Luke said. “I’m still trying to find out who this Beyoncé person is, so there is a little bit of a gap there.”
Music, fashion styles and technology may have changed over the years, but the basics of Luke's basketball coaching philosophy remains the same.
It made her a winner at Vandebilt, where she spent 27 years and won more than 600 career games and led the Lady Terriers to their first and only Louisiana High School Athletic Association state championship in 2010.
And it has now carried over to Houma Christian, where she has helped the Lady Warriors open the regular season with a 20-2 overall record and a No. 2 ranking in the latest Division IV state power ratings in her first season as coach.
From the moment she took over at Houma Christian, Luke said she quickly passed on her philosophy to the new generation of Lady Warriors' basketball players, stressing the importance of work ethic, team work, attitude, commitment to excellence, competitive spirit and doing the right things on and off the court.
After 22 games this season, Luke said the Lady Warriors are starting to pick it up.
“They are trying to adjust to my style,” Luke said. “I think we are starting to see more eye-to-eye. My philosophy is it takes an entire group in order for us to be successful. I’m putting the responsibility on each player. The responsibility lies with them as far as our success is concerned.”
Houma Christian’s girls basketball program is no stranger to success. The Lady Warriors finished as Division IV state runner-up last season and returned many young but talented players in senior Breanna Harding, juniors Jordyn Marie and Dalesia Williams, sophomores Kourtne Lee and Jayda Ward and freshman Xariel Washington.
With Luke on board, the returning Lady Warriors players said they quickly recognized the difference from last year.
“We’re playing more as a team,” Harding said. “We respect each other. We’re all working hard. It’s working out better for us.”
Marie said the players have enjoyed playing for one of the state’s most successful high school girls’ basketball coaches in Luke, who is a member of the Louisiana High School Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
“It’s very different,” Marie said. “We're getting used to it. I really like her. She’s helped improve our technique. We’re more organized as a team.”
Lee said Houma Christian has focused more on the fundamental and game preparation side of basketball this season. Last season, the Lady Warriors played a more fast-paced, full-court style of play with graduated seniors Dionjhae Thomas and Alicia Johnson leading the way.
Now they are able to play multiple styles and make in-game adjustments as needed this season.
“We have more of a half-court game than we had last year,” Lee said. “Our defense is a way better. Coach Luke helps us know what our opponents are going to do before they actually do it. We have more discipline.”
Luke said every Houma Christian player has played a role in the team’s success. In most of their games this season, the Lady Warriors have had a different leader in scoring each night.
“For this team, we need five people contributing on the floor,” Luke said. “It has to be a team effort. You can’t put the burden on one or two kids. That’s a lot to shoulder with one or two kids. The responsibility of the success of this team lies with each kid. Our practice players have to practice hard or we aren’t going to be prepared for the next game.”
Luke said the Lady Warriors have the potential to go far, but it will be up to them to make it happen.
“I think this team can be anything they want to be but I’m just the coach,” Luke said. “They are the ones who have to believe. They are the ones who have to focus. They are the ones who have to execute. They have to be able to handle adversity under pressure. They’ve got to believe in themselves, in their teammates and what we’re doing. If we can do that, then they can do anything that they want to do.”
If you ask any Houma Christian player, they know exactly what they want to do this season – win the first state championship in school history.
“I think it would be very special because people think that since the two senior stars (Thomas and Johnson) left, they think we don’t have anything left, so we just want to prove them wrong,” Marie said.
The Lady Warriors came close to winning it all last year but suffered a 56-46 loss to Lafayette Christian in the Division IV state championship in Hammond.
This year’s AllState Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Girls’ Marsh Madness state tournament will take place at Rapides Coliseum in Alexandria, and the Lady Warriors are determined to get there.
“We're motivated to get back up there,” Lee said. “I feel like we’re getting better every day. Every game is an improvement from the last. I think we can go all the way. By playing more together and having Coach Luke, I think we’re more prepared for a state championship this year.”
Luke, who has made six trips to the LHSAA Girls’ Top 28 state tournament, said she knows how special it would be for the entire Houma Christian School community to win their first state championship.
But she said Houma Christian, which will host District 8-1A rival West St. John at 6 tonight in Houma, still has plenty of work left to do during the regular season before focusing all their attention on the playoffs and state championship.
“Everybody starts the year wanting to win a state championship, but that’s down the road,” Luke said. “Right now, we are focused on taking care of business in district. We don’t talk about the playoffs or look at power ratings right now. If we do what we’re supposed to do each and every day, then we’re going to get down the road.”