Pull Back the Plaid Curtain on Head Women’s Basketball Coach Jacquie Hullah

Get to know head women’s basketball coach Jacquie Hullah in this addition of "Pull Back the Plaid Curtain!"

1. What drew you to being a coach – why the path to intercollegiate athletics?

I love the game of basketball and the challenge of developing players into elite performers. I enjoy coaching the game at all levels but in particular at the college level. Players enter college as a teenager and they leave as adults that are ready to begin their professional lives. Being part of this transformative stage in their lives is personally rewarding to me.

2. What is your favorite memory during your time at Carnegie Mellon?

When I reflect on my time at Carnegie Mellon, it is the process of taking over a program that was 2-23 and building the program to participate in the NCAA Sweet 16. (Photo Gallery) The commitment, hard work, and belief of our players that we could turn the program around and be competitive year in and year out will always be special to me. I am very grateful and proud of all the women who shared this vision and made it happen!

3. Who has been the most influential person in your career?

My parents, sisters and brothers have set an example of having a passion for your work and to love the daily process of striving for your goals. My college coaches Billie Moore and Colleen Matsuhara had a tremendous influence on me as a player, teammate, and competitor. They played a huge role in helping me to break into college coaching and influenced my approach to teaching and coaching. My first head coaching position was at Dartmouth College. Louise O’Neal was the Sr. Associate Athletic Director and was my mentor during my formative years as a head coach. Before Louise moved into Athletic Administration, she was one of the most successful women’s basketball coaches of her era and a coaching legend of our game. I am forever grateful to Louise for sharing her knowledge, wisdom, and experience with me. Her leadership, support and guidance has had a huge impact on my coaching achievements.

4. What was sports like while you were growing up – how do you think it’s changed?

Title IX legislation was passed my junior year of college so the majority of my athletic experiences during grade school, junior high, high school and college was at a time where there was enormous inequality in sports for girls and women. To give you some examples, the boys had interscholastic sports in junior high while there were no programs for the girls. In high school, the boys had priority scheduling of the gym, played more games during the season and had post season tournaments. A state championship for girls was added two years after I graduated from high school. We did not have summer leagues, AAU events like they do today and there were very few colleges that offered basketball camps for girls.

In college, there were no athletic scholarships for women until the passage of Title IX and it took a couple of years for this to actually phase into the programs. We bought our own basketball shoes, shorts and T-shirts, laundered our own gear, and used the women’s general locker room while the men had gear provided for them, laundered for them, and had their own team locker room. We traveled by van and the men traveled by charter bus. We did not have pre-game meals and depending on the distance of an away game, it varied as to whether we were given a post-game meal or not. The men were given priority scheduling of the gym and women were expected to work their practice schedule around the men’s. We did not have an athletic trainer or a strength and conditioning coach. Radio, TV and print media coverage of girls and women’s sports was very limited. Needless to say, we have come a very, very long way in girls and women’s sports.

5. What is the most memorable athletic event you have witnessed / been a part of outside of Carnegie Mellon Athletics?

As an athlete, my most memorable experience was playing for Olympic Coach Billie Moore and defeating UCLA in the regional championship game.

As a coach, I have been blessed with many amazing moments:

• Winning five consecutive Ivy League Titles at Dartmouth College.
• Being selected by USA Basketball to be the Head Coach for the West team in the Olympic Festival games.
• Being honored by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association as Coach of the Year for my district in Division I and sharing that celebration with the other eight coaches who were named from their respective districts.
• Being inducted into the Coaching Hall of Fame at Dartmouth College.
• Coaching Professional Basketball. As the Head Coach of the Seattle Reign in the American Basketball League (ABL), the excitement and energy of the inaugural game and opening ceremony along with being selected to coach in the first ABL All-Star game was electrifying. It was fun to make history and be on the ground floor of establishing Women’s Professional Basketball in the U.S. (Photo)

6. What is one thing that no one knows about you?

I think about my players 24/7. I can’t adequately express how deeply I care for them and how much I love them. In their journey through life, I have extremely high hopes and aspirations for both my current and former players. I can’t wait to see how their futures unfold!

For other department member responses, visit Pull Back the Plaid Curtain.