Mercury Coach Corey Gaines

On Basketball, Gender and the Art of Listening

by Lesley Factor

The differences between men and women may be blatantly obvious in some respects but in the world of sports, gender is not a dividing factor. Just as sports cross international borders and create a common language for cultures around the world, they also bring out the best in both men and women.

As Phoenix Mercury head coach Corey Gaines puts it, “In the world of basketball, once you put on that uniform, everyone is a player and you treat him or her as such, just like executives in a business. If they are qualified for the position, they receive the same respect no matter their gender.”

Gaines is entering his second year as the team’s head coach and claims he has found the key to success for coaching a women’s basketball team: He listens. “It isn’t a revolutionary idea,” he says. “The reason I’ve found a system that works for my players is because I listen. Listening leads to learning, and it’s not possible to listen if you’re talking.”

Gaines is the lone male in the Mercury organization, led by two of the highest ranking women in Arizona sports—Mercury’s president and COO Jay Parry and general manager Ann Meyers Drysdale. “Jay is one of the most business savvy executives around, and Ann is the most knowledgeable person I know when it comes to women’s basketball,” says Gaines. “Plus, it’s Ann Meyers. There is not a more prominent pioneer in the women’s game. Over and over, she has shattered barriers for women in sports since she was in high school in the ‘70s.”

Just as former head coach Paul Westhead did in 2007, Gaines is determined to lead his team back to the playoffs. He followed in the footsteps of Westhead for years, starting as a player under his leadership at Loyola Marymount in California and advancing to Westhead’s assistant coach for the Phoenix Mercury. “Paul is the man who helped me believe in myself [enough] to take on this challenge,” says Gaines.

Westhead also taught Gaines to follow his instincts, a lesson he values greatly. Having coached both men and women, Gaines finds that the main gender difference lies in the style of teamwork. “When you tell men to do something on the court, you are hoping they are going to do it. When you tell women to do something on the court, you know they are going to do it,” he says. “They want to get the job done for themselves, but also for one another.”

According to Gaines, women have been brought up through a more structured, team-oriented style of basketball similar to how the men’s game was in the ‘60s and ‘70s. He says women focus on the fundamentals of the game, much like a business focuses on the fundamentals before expanding. Now entering its 13th season, the WNBA league is sticking with the basics in order to grow and flourish as the NBA did.

Aside from staying out of the locker room at certain times, Gaines sees no major difference in coaching women who, he says, don’t require any more or any less guidance than their male counterparts; the women he coaches are strong athletes and admirable role models.

Gaines says one thing that does separate the NBA and the WNBA is the fan base. “I have never seen a more loyal and passionate group of fans,” he says. “The people who come to our games—the women, the kids and families—they are so committed to supporting their team, but they understand it’s bigger than that. They know this league is making a difference on a larger scale and it’s a wonderful thing to see. That support means the world to our players and our coaches.”

As a man on this women-focused court, Gaines admits that coaching is a bit of a double-edged sword. It can be tricky finding a balance between providing guidance and letting players figure things out on their own, but as a parent of a 26-year-old daughter, Gaines learned a few strategies early on. He encourages parents to take an interest in their child’s passions rather than forcing their own dreams onto their kids.

Gaines says he enjoys seeing the excitement on the faces of children at Mercury games and loves being part of a league that has strong supporters for the women who put so much of their hearts into the game. Some might say that the Mercury team members are lucky to have such an accomplished basketball coach leading them, but the way Gaines sees it, he is lucky to be surrounded by these extraordinary women. Ultimately, he feels that these women have fought for their place in the spotlight, and he’s there to make their ride a smooth one.

Lesley Factor is the Public and Community Relations Manager for the Phoenix Mercury.

www.phoenixmercury.com