2 Nice articles about Bibbs accomplishments.....
www.ncataggies.com/Womensbasketball/2007-2008%20articles/aggiesvbibbs%20400%20wins.htmBibbs is just the second coach to earn 400 wins at an HBCU
GREENSBORO, November 23, 2007 – Patricia Cage-Bibbs started coaching college basketball because she wanted to help the fledgling women’s basketball program at her alma mater Grambling State University.
Twenty-three years later, a convincing 88-62 win over UNC Asheville has made Bibbs the 38th active women’s basketball coach to record 400 career wins and just the second women’s basketball coach to do it at an HBCU. On top of all that, she has all but rebuilt her third women’s basketball program.
“I’m blessed to be in the business long enough to achieve this,’’ said Bibbs. “I’m glad to achieve this year at North Carolina A&T, and I’m thrilled this group of kids gave it to me.”
The win was a part of the first day of the UNC Greensboro Thanksgiving Tournament at Fleming Gymnasium, which means Bibbs picked up the historic win in front of a lot of Aggie faithful. It was contingent that began to chant “400 wins, 400 wins” as the clock ticked under a minute on Friday.
“It feels good because every time she thinks about her 400th win my name will be thrown in there,” said first-team All-MEAC guard Amber Bland. “It was great because it wasn’t a team effort, it was a family effort. We all wanted to win this for her, so it was like a family coming together to do something special for a family member.”
The Aggies played like it was a special occasion. In fact, they played the same way Bibbs wants them to play on every occasion. Thus far this season the Aggies (3-1) have been living on second-half surges where they hold a team down defensively, while catching a spark offensively.
On Friday, they did those things throughout the game and the results were encouraging. Ta’Wuana Cook led the Aggies with 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting. Jalessa Sams, Lamona Smalley, Brittanie Taylor-James and Bland had 13 points apiece. Former UNCA point guard Tyronnica Alford also had an enjoyable day against her former teammates. She finished with seven points and a career-high eight points.
“I seriously didn’t come into this game thinking about 400 wins,” said Bibbs. “What I thought about was our kids coming together and putting two halves together. We could not fall behind to this team early because they play so well on the offensive end.”
N.C. A&T’s dominating performance didn’t come against a weak opponent. The Bulldogs earned a NCAA Tournament bid last season. They came into the game averaging 71.3 points per game and guard Ashton Barton came in averaging 17.3 points per game, while her backcourt mate Ana Baker was averaging 7.3 assists and 5.0 steals per game.
But a staple of Bibbs for so many years – pressure defense – forced the Bulldogs into 34 turnovers and it made Barton pretty much obsolete for the entire game.
The Aggies took over the game at the 8:11 minute mark with the Aggies leading 22-20. The Aggies bench sparked a 15-0 run with Bland and Sams in foul trouble. Taylor-James scored on two layups and grabbed two rebounds, while Nancy Rembert hit a 3-pointer and a jump shot during the run to help the Aggies take a 37-20 lead with 4:19 remaining in the game.
The Bulldogs never got any closer than 14 the rest of the night, which meant the sparking cider was being chilled early. After the game, the Aggie players attempted to shake up sparkling cider and spray it on Bibbs in the locker room. But Bibbs, who is forever the fashion statement, would not hear of it.
“I guess I could have it had dry cleaned, but I didn’t want to risk it,’’ she said.
The Aggies are back in action Sunday, when they face Boston in the championship game at Fleming Gymnasium at 3 p.m.
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www.ncataggies.com/Womensbasketball/2007-2008%20articles/aggiesvbibbs400feature.htmBIBBS GOT 400 BIBBS' WAY
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Bibbs has only had four losing seasons in her career
GREENSBORO, NC, November 23, 2007 – North Carolina A&T women’s basketball coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs hasn’t come this far in her career by being naïve. She knows there are some who will call her too abrasive. You will find some who will call her ruthless.
There are some colleagues who may say she’s a little too arrogant for their taste.
Then again, there are many players you will find that will tell you Bibbs taught them how to be a lady. She taught them how to walk with class, talk with class and how to be first-class. Players from the three programs she has led – Grambling State, Hampton and North Carolina A&T – will also tell she can tell you how to be a winner.
She earned career win No. 400 against UNC Asheville at the UNC Greensboro Thanksgiving Tournament on November 23, 2007.
“It’s a great feeling to know you hit a milestone,’’ said Bibbs. Being in it this long you have to have coached good kids. I let every young lady who comes through my program know if you set your goals toward something and see them through, if you don’t let people deter you, you can reach milestones in your life.”
Bibbs made history by being Patricia Cage-Bibbs, someone willing to take chances, someone who is not always conventional and someone who doesn’t mind dropping a few jaws to get a point across.
There was the time she become the first coach at Dubach High School in Louisiana – boys or girls – to start an all-black starting lineup. There was the time she did not bring her Grambling Tigers team back on the floor for the second half because she didn’t feel they were being treated fairly by the officiating.
Against all doubters, she started five guards all season at Hampton and won a MEAC Championship doing it. After her first season at N.C. A&T, she replaced most of the team. Those might not have been popular decisions, but it was Bibbs being Bibbs.
“People don’t understand what I like to do,’’ said Bibbs. “I like to take programs and build them. It’s like starting a business. You’re not always going to do what’s popular; you’re going to do what’s effective.”
Bibbs knows all about starting a business. She and her husband Ezil own two successful car rental shops in Louisiana. But Bibbs didn’t start out with nine championships, six NCAA appearances and a successful business.
She started without assistant coaches, a recruiting budget and name recognition. A small high school in Ruston, La., Ruston High School, gave Bibbs her first head coaching opportunity in 1974. The championships, however, began at Dubach. She spent six years there, made six playoff appearances and won two state titles – 1981 and 1983.
After the 1983 championship, she received a call from friends at Grambling. Every call asked her to come down the street to her alma mater and help ignite the sport of women’s basketball at Grambling.
In the early 80’s, women’s basketball was still trying to get off the ground at major schools. Therefore, if the schools with huge budgets are still trying to get the sport off the ground, what can a historically black college like Grambling offer? It didn’t seem as if Bibbs was concerned about it. She came in under Bob Hopkins as an assistant at Grambling. After one season, Hopkins moved to be an assistant men’s coach, giving Bibbs the opportunity to rebuild her first program.
She walked in confident and ready to take on the establishment. Alcorn State coach Shirley Walker, the only other coach to reach 400 wins at an HBCU, owned the Southwestern Athletic Conference for several seasons. Bibbs had a message for her.
“I told her I came to take her territory,’’ said Bibbs. “When Shirley Walker from Alcorn and Patricia Bibbs were facing each other? It was standing room only. We battled. I remember the first time I coached against her at Grambling…she beat me. She kept beating me. After the game she would hug me and say welcome to the SWAC. When the tides changed I would tell her I’m happy to be here.”
Six tournament championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances later at Grambling, Bibbs proved the Tigers had plenty to offer. After 13 years at Grambling, Hampton and the beautiful waters that surround the campus started calling. Not even the great Eddie Robinson (legendary Grambling football coach) could convince her to stay.
“When I went to Grambling I was 33 years old and coach Robinson took me under his wings and taught me so much,’’ said Bibbs. “I would look up and there he was at my games. For someone like him, who is one of the most famous persons in the country, to take time out to be at my games meant so much. But I needed another challenge.”
It was Bibbs doing what she does best, which is not doing what someone else thinks is best, but doing what is effective for her. The challenge of building another program was too great for her to resists. The Hampton Pirates were still making the adjustment to Division I. At the time Howard led by head coach Sanya Tyler owned the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. When Bibbs arrived, she let it be known again she didn’t come to play nice.
“I called Sanya and told her I was coming to take her territory,’’ said Bibbs, who was again not being conventional and was attempting to jaw drop.
In year one, however, she did lead the Pirates to the MEAC title. She went on to win two more titles at Hampton before taking on another challenge. She retired after seven seasons at Hampton and 20 years of coaching that yielded 371 wins. She began the car rental business with her husband and was not eager to get back into coaching.
Former N.C. A&T chancellor James Renick found her phone number and invited Bibbs to visit the Greensboro campus. He wanted her to take over a program that had won just 35 games in seven seasons, and a program that had at one point played with just four players during a game.
This time it was Bibbs’ family who wanted the challenge. “My family missed it,’’ said Bibbs. “They missed going to the games, they missed the competition. When my (husband and I) visited the campus, we fell in love with it. When you come here as an opposing coach you really don’t get to see the campus. I was blown away by A&T’s campus.”
Bibbs’ team struggled in year one at N.C. A&T. She revamped the team by brining in players who were ranked highly as prep standouts. Amber Bland, a two-time Ohio state Player of the Year, was the cornerstone.
Bibbs also has UC-Santa Barbara transfer Brittanie Taylor-James. There are two players on the roster – Ta’Wuana Cook and Tyronnica Alford – who have won four state championships at their respective high schools. She also landed one of the best players in Pennsylvania when she signed Jaleesa Sams.
Now there are big expectations for Lady Aggies basketball. After winning game No. 400, Bibbs summed up Bibbs.
“I’ve basically gotten a lot of things I’ve wanted because I was willing to go after the things I’ve wanted,’’ said Bibbs.
Is that over confidence or arrogance? Maybe. Is it a woman not afraid to be successful? Definitely.
