It’s Coach Waterman Now
10/24/2019 3:43:05 PM | Women's Basketball
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Coaching basketball has been in Makayla Waterman’s family for a long time. Her father was the boys coach at Dayton Dunbar High School and her grandfather Ben Waterman coached for over 60 years, including for Ohio State under Fred Taylor. Having observed Makayla around the game at a young age, both of them knew she would be a coach one day. This season, she is taking her first steps as the NCAA has granted Waterman a waiver to serve as a student coach for the women’s basketball team.
What does that mean exactly? Waterman began this year as a student manager and was limited in what she could do on and off the court. As a student coach however, she can coach and instruct the players both during practice and in the games and provide film breakdown and film study off the court.
“Coach McGuff really wants me to be sort of a translator for him with the eight new players and coaches we have in our system this year,” Waterman said. “I’ve been around him for five years now and I have a good feel for when he wants something done a certain way and I can help with that. It will be good for me to connect with the players in that way and I can help them through the tough times this year.”
Waterman graduated in 2018 with an undergraduate degree in psychology and is in her second year in the masters of sport coaching program. She was a member of McGuff’s first recruiting class in 2014 but went on to redshirt that season following an ACL injury. Over the past four years, she played in 126 games and was part of two Big Ten championship teams and played in three NCAA Tournaments.
“I told Coach McGuff that I want to observe and soak in as much from him and the other coaches that I can this year,” said Waterman. “I played for five years here so I have a lot experience on the player side. But I want to see the game from the coaching perspective.”
Waterman already got a little taste of coaching last season as the team welcomed in four graduate transfers and three freshmen. As the most experienced player on the team, Waterman was an extension of McGuff on the floor as the new players learned the offense. This year brings the same challenges and Waterman hopes to be able to fill the gaps throughout the learning process.
“I’m excited to help fill the voids in practice and in drills while the new players are getting familiar with his offensive and defensive schemes. I will be able to step in and demonstrate like I could last year as a player. That just comes natural for me. Earlier as a manager, I wasn’t allowed to do that and it was a little frustrating.”
There is a lot of excitement surrounding the women’s basketball program this year. But there is also a lot of “newness” with eight new players, seven freshmen and two new assistant coaches. Having someone with Waterman’s experience will be a big boost for McGuff and his staff.
