“Coaching males was coaching egos. Coaching females was coaching emotions.”
Terry Fowler, the head coach of women’s basketball at the University of South Alabama, sits down with us in this episode of the 35,000 Feet podcast and gives us insight into his journey as a basketball coach. During our interview, Terry tells us about his path that led him to become a women’s basketball coach, a foreign tour to Canada with his team, and lessons learned from the 2019-2020 season.
In this episode, we discuss:
How Coach Fowler got into coaching (0:42)
How this past season went for the University of South Alabama basketball team (4:18)
Terry’s foreign travel experience with his team to Montreal (9:19) - Poutine
Terry’s next adventure with his team (17:28)
Terry’s advice to athletes wanting to play in college (19:29)
How Coach Terry Fowler Got His Start in Coaching
Kylie: How did you get started coaching basketball, in particular women's basketball?
Terry: Okay. Well, it's a wild story, okay. I graduated from college. I have a degree in business administration and accounting, so for six years I worked for the Internal Revenue Service in Atlanta, Georgia and I also had a little part-time job with the Atlanta Braves. My neighbor, his father worked for the Braves as a scout, so he worked on the grounds crew. We were 22, 23 years old and so I just did that part-time on game days and then I would work for the Internal Revenue Service.
After about six years of that, I just kind of said, I know I didn't want to continue working for the IRS. I decided to go to grad school and I went to a place called the United States Sports Academy, which is located in Daphne, Alabama. My plan was to go get my masters from there. I made a lot of contacts with the Braves, so I was planning on going back and trying to see if I could work in the front office with them.
As I completed my degree from the Sports Academy, a good friend of mine was named the head coach at Spring Hill College here in Mobile, and he asked me to come be his assistant. I'm like, "An assistant coach for the women's team?"
And he's like, "Yeah."
And I'm like, "Wow, I don't know about this."
But I did. I talked to a lot of people and they said, "Hey, why don't you try it out? If you don't like it, then you can do something different."
Terry: I did it for that year, and what I found out was I knew I wanted to coach them because I had played college basketball and I knew I wanted to coach. I still wasn't sure about if I wanted to coach women.
Well, that summer I coached the AAU boys team, 16 and under team. And once that season was over with that summer, I called my friend back and said, "Have you replaced me yet? Have you hired anybody back?"
And he said, "No, it's yours if you want it."
I said, "I'd love to come back."
What I found out is coaching males was coaching egos and coaching females was coaching emotions, and I just felt more comfortable dealing with females because I thought they really tried to do what we wanted them to do. Males were questioning me. Back in those days, they were like, "Well, Michael Jordan doesn't do his fundamentals like this. Why are we doing this?" And I was like, "Nah, I don't want to do this." And so been coaching women ever since and haven't regretted one day of it.
Kylie: That's incredible. It's so interesting to me how each person has their own journey, own adventure essentially... I love how you called it a wild ride, to get to where they're at now. Having been an athlete and played basketball and being around a lot of different teams, it's definitely different. It's a different experience coaching women's versus men's teams. And I think that's really cool that you decided, "Hey I'm going to go with this route because I fit really well here and it's something that I love." I know my coaches were some of my best mentors, and so thanks for doing what you're doing. It's changing lives. It really is awesome.
University of South Alabama Women’s Basketball 2019-2020 Season
Kylie: With that, you guys have had quite the season. I actually watched just a few of your past games in prep for this podcast and would love to kind of dive into maybe hearing your perspective on how your season is going, maybe talking about some of the highs and also some of the lows, things maybe that you and the team have learned this year.
Terry: Right. Well, we're coming off of two 20-win seasons and we're turning the majority of our team so we had high expectations coming into this season. Now, we had a really tough schedule. We played Rutgers at home, we played Alabama, we played Auburn, and then we had our tough mid-major schedule. And of course, once you get into the Sunbelt, it was difficult as well. Kind of open up the season with some injuries, so really didn't have the team we thought we were going to have to start off early. We finally started to get pieces back and having a full squad.
But I guess one of the biggest things I think we've all learned is, last season is last season and this season is this season. They have nothing to do with each other. Every season is evolved and as is all life. And so you have to just prepare for each day as it goes.
I just think some of the lows we've had is we kind of maybe thought we could just pick up where we left off last year, and that's not the case. Another thing I think you learn also is, as your players start changing, everybody's roles, you come back different. Well, I had a role last year, I'm going to step my role up this year. And that may not be the case. And so that's the journey that you take and those are the things you want to learn. And those are not just basketball lessons, they're life lessons.
Kylie: Definitely. I think there's a lot of things that you learn on the court that directly relate to life, and I think that's what's so incredible about athletics is there are so many parallels. When I took a look at your guys' schedule, you definitely had a stacked schedule this year. I think there's a lot to be said as well of playing the teams that really stretch you because that's what really allows you to grow. I think just from my little insight into what you guys are doing this year, it seems like you guys have really been growing together as a team. I love how you said, "You need to focus on last season, this last season and this season is this season." And to me, that means you know, really being present in the now and taking the opportunities in front of you, and excited to really see what you guys do with that this year.
Kylie: And yes, you guys are in the middle of your season right now. Any exciting things coming up? You guys have some big games coming up I know and you know that the tournament is right around the corner. What are you guys looking forward to in the next few weeks and month?
Terry: Yeah. We've got our rival game is this weekend. We play against Troy University. They are tied for first place in our league right now. Our games against them have been amazing. I mean, we beat them twice last, put them out of the tournament. The season before we split during the regular season and they put us out the tournament. It's just been amazing basketball when we play each other, and it's great for the state of Alabama to have women's basketball games at the level that we play against each other. That's a big one we're looking forward to, as well as the game with our men's game.
The thing about it is the bottom bowl of our arena has been sold out for three weeks.
Our game last year, we won by three at our place and it was an amazing atmosphere, so we are looking forward to this weekend to play against them. And then next week, we'll end the season with a trip to Arkansas State in Arkansas, Little Rock. And then we'll get into conference play. But this weekend is a big, big week for us and really looking forward to playing in front of a large crowd.
Kylie: Yeah, that's really impressive and incredible that you guys have been sold out the bottom bowl for the past three weeks. I know that specifically for some reason I feel like on the women's basketball side can be tricky to really foster interest and excitement, and that's awesome. A huge feat. I'm excited for you guys to play Troy as well. It's always fun to have those in-state competitions.
The University of South Alabama Women’s Basketball Foreign Tour to Montreal
Kylie: As a lover of travel, we represent a travel company. We'd love to really dive in and talk about the experience, the adventure that happened throughout a season. And so maybe I'd love to dive into... You mentioned that a couple of years ago in 2017 you were able to travel with your team on a foreign tour to Montreal, Canada. I would love to kind of hear your thoughts on that experience? Some things that you really loved, maybe some things that happened that most people don't know. How was that?
Terry: Okay. It was great. It was a great experience and one thing you get players on your team, it's the first time they've ever flown. We had a group of freshmen that season and we had two players that had never flown before.
Kylie: Wow.
Terry: And so their first flight is to Montreal. But it was a great experience for us. We flew out of New Orleans and we took the team over to New Orleans a day before the trip and just spent a lot of time down in a French Quarter, and then we flew out the next day. But just a great experience. And what we wanted to do was kind of, you get these foreign tours, you get them every four years. And this is the first one that University of South Alabama women's basketball team has ever taken.
Kylie: Wow. Congratulations. That's a big thing.
Terry: Thank you. We want to find a place that we could kind of ease player into, and so Montreal with them speaking English and in French, we thought that was a great, great place. I tell you what, the trip was awesome. We really let our team go out and experience Montreal. We did ziplining. We did a bike tour and I tell you that was the most amazing thing because we were able to go places on the bikes that we wouldn't have been able to do on a charter bus. Just rode through the city, stopped and ate at some restaurants that the tour guides recommended. It was awesome. I actually want to go back with my family. Even though I did have my family on the trip with me, but I'd like to go back just for a personal vacation.
While we were on that trip we also went to Quebec City and played a game up there, and there it's completely French-speaking, so it was like being in Europe. I mean, they were cobblestone roads. It was a really great experience. It was like we did go to Europe basically. The three-hour trip from Montreal to Quebec City, the weather was completely different. It was cold. It was an outstanding trip for our young ladies, and they still talk that to this day, that experience. It's just one of the things that athletics allows you to do is to have those experiences that they might never have.
Kylie: Definitely. I think that's a beautiful thing about this kind of opportunity to go on a foreign tour once every four years is because when you're an athlete its your passion, it takes a lot of your time and often there's not maybe opportunities to study abroad or do things like that. And so having the opportunity to go on a foreign tour, it's a great way to be able to help athletes and a team really experienced something new and unique. I think it's so cool.
We've talked to a lot of different coaches on this podcast and this is the first time that we've actually kind of talked about a foreign tour to Montreal, Canada. I've had the chance to visit, and I 100% agree, Terry, that it doesn't really feel like you're in Canada, especially when you get to Quebec city. It feels like you're stepping foot in Europe. I think how cool to be able to go somewhere that's not too far away, yet you get to experience things that are so different.
Coach Fowler’s Food and Team Building Experience in Montreal
Kylie: I have a few questions that I think our listeners would be very interested. You guys went for, was it a week, four days? How long were you there for?
Terry: We were there for eight days. Eight days, we played three games. Yeah.
Kylie: Wow. Incredible.
Terry: And the one thing that we did is we didn't practice. Listen, we're going to play our games. It was a team building, team bonding type of deal, but we let our kids go out and experience the city. And like I said, we did some group things, but it was just an awesome experience. And the thing that was cool too was the Rogers Cup Tennis Tournament was going on, so we're staying in the same hotel with Federer. It was awesome.
Kylie: That's incredible. I'm curious as well, do you recall any of the food that you ate while you were there? I know when you get to go on foreign trips, one of the big pieces, especially when you're fueling yourself as a team, is the food. I'm curious if you had any specific foods or dishes that stood out to you that you loved or maybe that were very interesting?
Terry: Yeah. Probably, I'm a mess up the name and everybody get made at me. I can't think, but it's a French fry, poutine.
Kylie: Poutine.
Terry: Yes. Oh, yes. Yes. We took the team to a food festival and there's all kinds of festivals going on in Montreal while we were there. It was at the Olympic Stadium there and there's food trucks everywhere.
And we just went around and tried all the different types of food. And I knew that stood out to me. Everybody's, "You got to try that." I enjoyed that. It was also some type of meat that everyone enjoyed on the trip too, but I can't even recall what that was, but yeah. We didn't eat all American food. We went to different restaurants. We hit the food trucks. We did it all.
Kylie: I love that. I think it's a good balance to be able to try the local foods as well as have things that maybe are a bit more comfortable, but I agree with you on the poutine. We'll have to link to that in this podcast so you guys can see what we're talking about. But it's delicious and very filling. Incredible.
Terry: Yes. I was like, "Oh, don't really want that. I don't know if I'm going to like that." Oh, it was awesome. Yes, definitely. Definitely. I had it on more than one occasion on the trip.
Kylie: I love it. I love it. Definitely, if you're in Montreal, Canada, Coach Fowler's request, try poutine.
Terry: Try it. Got to try it.
Kylie: Yeah. Summing up this experience as well, you kind of already hit on this, but we love to kind of talk about specific things that the team love to do and so you mentioned ziplining, a bike tour. I love that both those experiences are very active and really get you involved and immersed in the place that you're at, and I think that that makes the experience so much more a memorable. Are there any other specific activities that you can recall off the top of your head that were just like, "Wow, that was incredible. It really brought our team together."
Terry: Yeah, and I can you one thing and this is a simple thing, we took them through the Six Flags Amusement Park there. I am not an amusement park... I'm not a ride guy. I'm not a roller coaster. I'm not doing that thing. But the team asked me. They said, "Hey, we need you to get on. We got five seniors. We need you to do five things with the five. Each one is going to pick a ride."
Terry: And I'm like, "I'll tell you what. Can we compromise with three?"
They're like, "Okay, we'll do three."
I'll tell you, we took this one ride, I can't even think of what it was, but it swung you like a pendulum and was spinning at the same time. I thought I was going to die. My wife didn't ride the ride, but she said, "I could hear you screaming at the top of your lungs while you were on that ride." And so this and that and then I did some of the roller coasters with them.
Our kids, we always talk to them as coaches about getting out of your comfort zone. And, boy, they have no idea, and I've told them, "You guys, have no idea how much you took me out of my comfort zone on those three rides." That was a great thing right there.
Kylie: Wow. I love that. I think it's important too and special when players see their coach doing what they talk about, right? I'm sure having you step out of your comfort zone was a great lesson for each of them to be able to see and visualize when they're asked to do that as well. How fun.
Coach Terry Fowler’s Next Adventure with His Team
Kylie: Well, thanks for sharing about your travel experience to Canada. What an incredible foreign tour. Something I know I would have loved as an athlete to be able to go there. I'd love to kind of turn it to some of your maybe upcoming travel plans for the team as far as kind of what's maybe kind of in the works for upcoming years for University of South Alabama?
Terry: Yeah. Well, now we're also looking at another foreign trip. Our next time would be 2021. We're looking at Greece or Spain. I guess we need to make a decision pretty soon here, but those are two places we think we would have a great experience with our team. We got that portion coming up.
Terry: But then just domestically, I mean next season we play at Rutgers so we're going to return that trip. We're going to get to take the team to New York City.
Kylie: Fun.
Terry: And we're really looking forward to that, spending the couple three days up there before we play Rutgers just as an educational trip as well as the athletic portion of it.
Kylie: Yeah, there's so many opportunities. I think a lot of times we focus on travel as being international and this big thing, but there's so many opportunities, especially as team, to be able to travel to neighboring states or even to places within the United States that are very historically and culturally significant. So yeah, New York City, I'm excited to for you guys. That's going to be an incredible trip. How special for the team. Really excited for everything that's upcoming for you and the team.
Coach Terry Fowler’s Basketball Advice for Athletes
Kylie: I'd love to turn it to a question that I love to ask all coaches that come on our podcast and that's, you kind of shared a few moments in the season as far as how your team has overcome struggles, has come together, has traveled together and bonded. For those listening to this podcast, I know we have people that are probably maybe prospective athletes that want to play at a university, maybe even in high school, if you were to give them one piece of advice in preparation for, let's say, wanting to play basketball at a university, what would that be?
Terry: First of all, number one, follow your passion. I mean, if your passion is in your heart and you want to do it, then go out by all means. I mean, the biggest thing for me is to have our young people when we're recruiting, it's just like, "Hey, play hard, have fun, enjoy what you're doing and be selfless." I mean, just be selfless. We're really looking for people to, hey, you're playing for your teammates, you're playing for others and then everything starts flowing, and you will receive it back.
Kylie: Great advice. I think be selfless and follow your passion, those are two things that are not only applicable to athletics but to life in general.
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Theme Song - I’ll Just Be Me by Gravity Castle