College basketball: Quigley Smith excited about early signs at Lewis

ROMEOVILLE – It’s been just over two months since Samantha Quigley Smith was named as the new women’s basketball coach at Lewis University.

And the last nine weeks have been something of a blur for the former University of St. Francis coach and DePaul University standout after she succeeded Kristen Gillespie, who took the same position at Illinois State University, to lead the Flyers program.

Even though she hasn’t been in her new job for long, Quigley Smith already is encouraged by the meetings with the families of her new players, most of whom were members of last season’s 23-9 team that reached the NCAA Midwest Regional quarterfinals.

“It’s been pretty fun,” Quigley Smith said. “Within NCAA compliance, we were able to meet with all of our current student-athletes and their families. We went to their hometowns, so that was pretty neat. We have quite a big group from Milwaukee and Wisconsin and went out to Iowa. It was neat for us to be able to get to know them a little bit before the school year starts. And they got to meet us, instead of just reading an article and seeing a photo.

“One of the first things that I asked about was if we could meet the team, since to me it was so important for them to meet me face-to-face before the big basketball meeting that happens in the first week of school. We were able to sit down and just enjoyed talking and getting to know them a little bit. Traveling around the Midwest was kind of our month of June.”

While Quigley Smith was understandably thrilled about having the opportunity to meet with her new players, she also believes that they were excited to talk with her.

“I think it was a sense of excitement for all of us,” Quigley Smith said. “They learned a little bit about our coaching style and asked a lot of questions about what we like to do offensively and defensively. So they got a little bit of a feel about what things are going to be like. To have that enthusiasm for the future and what’s going to happen in the next couple of months, I’m getting so excited for school to start. All of the conversations have been really positive.

“Some of the juniors and seniors have gone through a few coaching changes. So for them, I think it’s important for us to be sensitive to that and to let them know that we’ve seen their success and we know that the program has a great foundation. They’ve been on the big stage and that’s something that speaks volumes about the program as a whole. Leaving the meetings, I saw a lot of smiles, so I think this will be something that’s really special.”

Another big step for the new coach came on July 12 when Quigley Smith was able to bring Dan McCarthy on as her assistant coach.

McCarthy, a 1974 Lewis graduate who was a member of the Flyers’ 1974 NAIA national championship baseball team and a longtime high school coach, assisted Quigley Smith while she was at St. Francis.

“To keep Dan was huge for us,” Quigley Smith said. “He’s so beneficial and has such a great basketball mind and he’s been doing this for a long time. And it’s just so cool for him since he’s a Lewis alum. It makes for a comfortable transition for our coaching staff to know that we’ll be familiar faces to each other. So that was a huge plus, too.”

With only two players transferring, the Flyers figure to have eight players back from last year’s roster who played in 10 or more games. That includes leading scorer Jessica Kelliher, who averaged 19.7 points a game to earn All-American honors as a sophomore.

Quigley Smith knows that replacing players like Jamie Johnson, a two-time All-American and the school’s all-time scoring leader, and Alyssa Siwek, will be a challenge.

“Losing a player like Jamie Johnson and also Alyssa Siwek hurts since they were two of the main ballhandlers. So that will be a little bit of an adjustment but it’s also an opportunity.”

Last month featured several recruiting opportunities for the new staff. With so many players coming back, the Flyers’ focus was more on the future than on immediate needs.

“July was a huge recruiting month for us,” Quigley Smith said. “We were in Louisville, Indianapolis, Wisconsin and Chicago a bunch of times. We were able to evaluate some of the things that we already have and for what we need for the next few years.

“I think that we’ll have a group that’s going to work really hard and from what I’ve seen, they’re going to probably exceed expectations and that’s something that you always hope for as a coach. If we can push them to another level, every player individually from a team perspective, then I think we can do something different. And obviously that has to do a lot with what we do every single day. That’s a message we’ve already sent and will reiterate.”