The University of Mississippi Athletics
INSIDER: Ladner More Than Just A Coach
5/2/2007 | Women's Basketball
By Ben Garrett
OleMissSports.com Insider
To say that Renee Ladner is multi-faceted is an understatement.
Along with being hired as the sixth basketball coach in Ole Miss women’s basketball history, Ladner is a wife, a mother, a former teacher of 17 years and an ambassador for community outreach throughout her various stops in coaching throughout the south.
Don’t think for a second that her plate is full in terms of opportunities she has encountered throughout her life. Ladner, who has been an assistant on previous coach Carol Ross’s staff as well as her former teammate in the early 1980’s while at Ole Miss, has spent the last four seasons working with the Rebel guards. She has developed WNBA-bound players like Armintie Price and Ashley Awkward.
A tireless coach and recruiter, Ladner will now get her shot as head of the women’s basketball program.
“For someone who might not know who I am, they would be pleased to find out that I am a hard worker and multi-faceted,” Ladner said. “I’m a wife and mother with two grown children, a graduate of Ole Miss, a former teacher for 17 years in
First and foremost, Ladner is a wife and mother, instilling values of hard work and determination with her family. When the decision was made of who would take over the program, obviously familiarity and that “family” relationship between Ladner and the current players was vital.
As an assistant for the Rebels, Ladner had been able to progressively instill those same values of work ethic with her players. Now, she will be able to further implant those convictions daily.
“Any time you are in a transitional phase, it is tough for everyone,” she said. “The kids are going to have the familiarity of the former staff and know how things must be done, and that is the right way. I possess the same passion and intensity that Carol (Ross) brought to the staff which I believe is vital towards our success. I have an innate fire in my belly and I think you will see that intensity echoed in my players.”
Despite the detailed background that warrants her hiring as head coach, Ladner has also served as the camp director for the Rebel Basketball Camps the last four summers.
And even with her added responsibilities as the face of the Rebels, Ladner will continue to contribute heavily in community outreach.
“I’ve got to put my finger in everything,” said Ladner. “I really enjoy working with kids, and I’m going to be a very big part in our basketball camps. I want kids to see what Ole Miss is all about and even if I had been a seasoned coach I would probably be in the middle of it as well.”
Before coaching at the collegiate level, Ladner coached at
After spending two seasons with Ross at the
An opportunity rare in the coaching profession, the last four years have been surreal to Ladner, and the chance to lead her alma mater is something that is hard to put into words.
“To be able to come back to Ole Miss and be a part of the same program that I was in as player, there is no experience that would be similar to that,” Ladner said. “I got to work with my teammates in Carol and Peggie and pull for the same program that we where all a part of. It’s an incredible feeling and a tremendous opportunity.”
With the loss of integral contributors such as Price, Awkward and Jada Mincy, building upon the achievements of the last four years will be challenging. But through such a determined and hard-nosed leader as Ladner, it is hard to believe that the demand will not be countered with production.
Noting that Ross has laid the foundation for success in the women’s basketball program, Ladner is quick to remind fans that there are plenty of resources that ensure the continuation of that success.
“I’m really excited about what the future holds for our program,” she said. “Whenever you come off an Elite Eight run, kids learn a great deal. They believe they’re winners.
“When we started here four years ago, our players didn’t know they could win. Now they expect to win every game they play. We have lost a large portion of our scoring and rebounding, but we have a good nucleus of kids who know they can win and have tasted success. It is now their turn to step up and fill the gaps of what we’ve lost.”
Although expectations will be high for the program for years to come, Ladner pointed out that there is no added pressure than the typical demands of playing in the Southeastern Conference.
“There is pressure in the SEC every year,” said Ladner. “There is never a guarantee that you are going to win a game and there is an expectation to win every week. This is the mighty SEC.”
As intense as she is soft-spoken and passionate, Ladner possesses the needed qualities to replace such an Ole Miss fixture as Ross. With four successful seasons as an assistant for the basketball team, the future looks promising in
“To be the new head coach of Ole Miss women’s basketball is an indescribable feeling,” said Ladner. “If you had told me in 1981 when I finished school at Ole Miss that I would be where I am today, I would have never imagined it in a million years.
I’m getting to coach kids who love the game of basketball like I did. I don’t see this as a job. I see it as something I love to do. That is what I feel the most fortunate about.”
And don’t think for a second she’s intimidated.
