A One-On-One Interview with Camille Moody
I first met Camille Moody in a meeting for West Coast Elite staffing, she was very positive, she has an ora about herself that says she is confident and has her stuff together. She introduced herself to me and we…
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Continue ReadingI first met Camille Moody in a meeting for West Coast Elite staffing, she was very positive, she has an ora about herself that says she is confident and has her stuff together. She introduced herself to me and we conversated on her job at Heritage Christian and the good job she has done since her hire. She is a passionate coach, you see it from the sidelines and you know she is fighting for her kids. All of her kids are very responsive to her, they know she has her back. We caught up with Camille Moody this weekend and she sat down with us and gave us this interview, this is her responses to our questions.
PGH: What is Your Full Name Coach:
CM: Camille Moody
CM: Heritage Christian school. 2years
CM: My philosophy of coaching is one that stresses confidence, resilience, and mental toughness. As a coach, it is important that I use my talents to empower young women to apologetically be the very best version of themselves. Basketball, will one day end for these young women, but the skills we teach never will. What they learn on the court, and through training will carry over into every part of their lives, including education. If I can get a kid to believe she is unstoppable on the court, she will understand that she is unstoppable in any setting.
CM: Assistants play a huge role in my program. Any coach that I hire is an extension of me.They are an extra set of eyes, ears, and an additional mind. Because I rely so heavily on my assistants I am very particular about who I hire. While our experiences, coaching styles, and strengths may differ, our values are the same. With that being said, I trust them and am therefore a macro manager.
CM: I like to get my girls involved in as many things as possible in the off season. We participate in summer leagues, and tournaments. We have light practices that focus primarily on skill development, and team concepts. I do a lot of open gyms, so they have a space to work on those things. Lastly, I like to get them out of the gym by doing different workouts. We may have a beach workout one week, and then workout with the trainers at JumpmanLA downtown the next week.
CM: Network!! A lot of my athletes are involved in tons of extracurricular activities outside of school and basketball. I encourage them to do so, and invite those to come and support us.
CM: As, a coach I am responsible for the the well being and success of my young women, and team as a whole. The principal is responsible for the well being and success of the entire student body, and the school as a whole. My athletic director serves as a liaison between the two of us. Ensuring I am equipped with all the necessary tools for success, and holding me accountable to the standards I set for myself, as well as school standards.
CM: My philosophy of discipline is one of encouragement and positive reinforcement. I expect a lot out of my athletes, I do not expect perfection, I expect toughness, and resilience. I push my athletes because I want them to know that they are fully capable. I make it a point not to dwell on mistakes, I much rather talk about how we can improve and move on. As a coach I believe in positive reinforcement. I do that by celebrating all victories, big or small. Whether it be a game winning shot, or finishing a timed run 2 seconds faster.
CM: As a woman in a male dominated field, and as a young coach I make it a point to ensure that I am improving day to day. I make it a goal to do something everyday to make me a better coach. Some days that may be watching and analyzing a game. Other days that may mean researching best ways to beat a 1-3-1. Another day I may be watching or attending a workshop on how to effectively plan a practice. Whatever it may be, I always take notes!
CM: In looking at schools, I always tell my girls to go where you’re wanted! Don’t get caught up in the hype. I would encourage them to ask as many questions as possible, ask the coach, and ask the players! Ask the players questions without the coach around.
CM: Practice always starts with defense. Before we even touch the ball, we work on footwork, and defense. After that we always spend time working on fundamentals: ball handling, shooting, and finishing. The second half of practice we do full court drills, that incorporate all those things and work on conditioning. I like to spend the last 30 minutes working on whatever we need to fix, or put in.
CM: As a coach I have to be a motivator in all things. It’s important to me that i get to know my athletes. If i know what motivates them, what makes them tick, i have more insight into how to get them to buy into what i am bringing to the table. My athletes trust me because i am honest with them about their roles on the team, that makes them willing to buy in. It also gives them the opportunity to work towards changing their role if they don’t agree with it. It creates accountability on both ends.
CM: Passionate
CM: My biggest strength as a coach is my passion and my intensity, and my ability to connect with young women. I am passionate about what I do, and learning how to be successful. My biggest weakness is also my passion. I’m emotional especially when it comes to game time, it clouds my judgement.
CM: Coaching gets me out of bed in the morning. I am where I am by the grace of God. It challenges me daily, it empowers me. It gives me a sense of purpose, I love using this sport to build strong women that will go out into the world, and change it.
CM: I have a pretty young team. They have this desire to learn that excites me! I have 2 freshman, Ariana and Jennasis and a sophomore, Lizzie that are so versatile. I call them my Swiss Army knives, they can play just about any position. They’re potential is limitless!
CM: Izzy Shimizu she’s a junior. A 5’9” scoring point guard. She does just about everything for me. She lead our league in double doubles last season. She’s a phenomenal shooter, and rebounder. Jr. Vanessa Epperson, my defensive specialist. She can and will guard anyone on the floor. She has high basketball iq. She is an unselfish player that knocks down 3s at a high percentage. Last but not least, senior Heaven Ramos. She is a leader on and off the court. She is athletic, and strong. She plays just about every position for me. While she may be undersized as a post player, her strength and footwork get her rebounds and buckets. Her speed and agility make her tough to guard. Her energy and will to win makes her the heartbeat of this team right now.