Story and photo by Darl DeVault, contributing editor.
Former University of Oklahoma Women’s Basketball Coach Sherri Coale shared her story about realizing that the score at halftime is less important than how people grow and evolve. She used this to illustrate that attendees of The Second Half Expo can reinvent themselves as they age during the October event.
As keynote speaker, the Norman resident, 60, spoke at October 18th at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Coale, a passionate coach, emphasized at the beginning of her speech that she likes to convey her life philosophy by sharing examples of how she coached her athletes to great success at OU.
“We were thrilled to have Sherri Coale as the keynote speaker at the Second Half Expo,” said Bob Loudermilk, event co-founder. “As a Hall of Fame successful women’s college basketball coach at OU for 24 years, she delivered an impactful and credible message. Just like her thought-provoking new book, “The Compost Pile,” Sherri’s relatable experiences impressed our audience at the Expo.”
Coale began her speech by challenging the audience to examine their lives and determine what makes their heart sing. She related how she would ask each of her basketball players that question to empower them to think about the big picture, not just playing ball at OU.
Her ability to ask her players to figure out what makes their heart sing was her way of prompting them to have a good life, not just a good college experience. This coaching philosophy, rooted in personal growth and empowerment, has the potential to inspire change in all of us.
Her audience was treated to a surprisingly candid speaker who shared rare insight into her ability to motivate young people to examine their progress in life and play basketball at their highest potential.
However, it was clear that all of this was based on a solid foundation of her extensive education as a player herself, her good interpersonal skills, and the hiring of Jan Ross as her assistant, who served OU for 22 years.
Coale’s teams made history at OU with six Big 12 Regular Season Championships, 68 All-Big 12 Team selections, 131 Academic All-Big 12 honors, four Big 12 Tournament Championships, 16 All-District Academic Team members, 19 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, four Academic All-America Team Members, 13 All-Americans and nine Sweet 16 appearances.
After relating to the audience, they need to find their purpose by asking themselves what they love or what they are good at. Coale began her use of a historical event at OU to explain the central premise of her speech.
Since her retirement from OU in 2021, Coale has been exploring public speaking, becoming an obviously skilled and dynamic speaker, as evidenced by her adapting her speech to the occasion at the Second Half Expo. Her personal journey —from a successful coach to a dynamic speaker —is a testament to the power of reinvention.
She explained that nothing is less important than the score at halftime and spent the remainder of her speech giving the details that brought that concept home to the audience.
The story began when the OU team, a powerhouse in women’s college basketball, traveled to play the California Golden Bears, a formidable opponent, at the Golden Bears’ home court in December 2008.
Coale said her team struggled in the first half because the Sooners’ superstar, Courtney Paris, was not being adequately supported and nearly fouled out. At halftime, OU was down by 26 points (52-26).
Coale said she made drastic changes to the plays they would run in the second half, with no exceptions. Her insistence that they use just a few plays, such as a play named “Money,” a high-percentage scoring play, seemed difficult for the team to comprehend in the locker room.
Back on the court during the second half, the players followed her instructions, and junior Nyeshia Stevenson, off the bench, began her personal 21-point surge that got OU back in the game. This was a testament to the players’ ability to adapt and grow under Coale’s guidance.
As the team sensed the momentum shifting, they intensified their defensive efforts, outscoring the Golden Bears 34-6 in the second half. Stevenson’s impact wasn’t limited to scoring. She also recorded a career-best four steals in the game, three of which came during the final five minutes as the Sooners tightened their defense.
During the comeback, Stevenson was a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the three-point line in the second half. This streak of efficiency from deep fueled the Sooners’ rally.
The Sooners won the game 86-75 by not being intimidated by the halftime score, thanks in part to Coach Coale’s crucial adjustments. Coale proudly told her audience that this comeback set an NCAA record for the largest halftime deficit overcome to win a game in regulation.
Coale again pointed out to her audience that it is up to them to realize they are only at halftime in their lives and to make any necessary changes to make their lives successful. She finished her speech asking the audience to think about what they want, and what they were willing to do about it.
