Sunday, August 2, 2020

The A-B-C of Offense In Basketball (Chloe Penser, Head Coach Butler University's Men's Basketball Team) Monday February 03, 2025 @ 3:13 PM Hinkle Fieldhouse

"Excusez-moi messieurs! Excusez-moi! What are the A-B-C of offense?" Coach Penser said conversationally to the Bulldogs at halftime losing to Xavier at this point 33-31. "Anyone?" Again in her thick French accent being only a duel citizen of the United States and her Mother country France for a little over three years. "Personne?" She asked?

Then the 6'3' point guard asked, "Personne? The fuck?" Kwame Dabney asked.

She glared at him and he instantly looked down at his hands while his thumbs twiddled. Coach Penser was only five foot one inch tall but was formidable. All fifteen players on the team was reminded of their perspective Mothers' when they interacted with her. But oft times she would say a word or sentence that the players were not familiar with and they would question her, like now. She was trying to teach them slowly of her native language but now was not the time, making the many mistakes they had made in the first half. Non, incroyable! Mon Dieu!

"Excusez-moi messieurs encore. Personne means: No one?" As she looked around at the team of thirteen suited and two in street clothes, only wearing suits the way she was taught to coach. "Etre professionelle! Toujours Chloe!" Her female mentor had embedded into her psyche. That credo had gotten her where she was to this day: being the first and only female Head Coach of a NCAA Divisioin I Men's Basketball Program.

"Encore: Again! Personne: No one? Personne can tell me the Ah-Bay-Cay of offense and we have went over this time and time again?" Silence! "Mon Dieu! Merde! Merde! Merde!" She said a little louder than usual. She never hollered, screamed or disrespected them; she would only speak professionally to them. They were young men. They were learning. Their team's record unbelievably so was 13-0. She was all the rage in the coaching and media circles. But for some reason today they were not doing as they had been coached. Standing around on the perimeter, playing catch with one another. "Merde!" She kept looking around and all of the team were just looking down.

"D'accord!" She said in earnest. The whole team like on cue looked up at her. "Je suis desole! D'accord?" All of the team nodded. "Parfaite." And the team smiled. "Maintenant il y a mes jeunes hommes!" She said with a smile. The team smiled back at her. They understood that sentence she had said it many of times during practice and during time-outs and had explained to them what the sentence meant the first time she had said it.

"Ecoutes! Le Ah-Bay-Cay of offense is: Always Be Cutting ou Coupe Toujours! Comprends?" All smiled and nodded. They were learning she thought to herself...

(plus a venir...)

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