Bob Starkey has been around the best of the best when it comes to college basketball, having coached former LSU greats Shaquille O'Neal, Sylvia Fowles and Seimone Augustus while also helping the Lady Tigers reach five Finals Fours and win three Southeastern Conference titles.
Starkey knows a good thing when he sees it, and he is almost certain now that UCF's blossoming women's basketball program is on the verge of moving into the nation's elite where the team will be a fixture in the Top 25. That's one of the reasons why Starkey jumped at the chance to join Joi Williams' staff as an assistant coach for next season.
``I don't think there's any question that they're ready (to make that jump), and really I think it's already in progress,'' Starkey said. ``A program is very process-oriented because you don't just make that quick jump into the Top 25. It's gradual and it comes from your recruiting, your teaching and your facilities and you just see things grow.''
``If you look at UCF's two recent NCAA trips, they played North Carolina incredibly close (in 2009) and this past season they gave Ohio State everything that they wanted,'' Starkey continued. ``So obviously they are competing with some really good teams. So I think it's just a matter of time now for this program to jump into that elite group.''
That expected jump should be aided by the addition of Starkey, who is considered one of the top teachers in all of women's college basketball. He had been the associate head coach under Van Chancellor since 2007 and had spent 13 seasons with the Lady Tigers. And before that, he was a part of Dale Brown's staff for the men's team where he tutored O'Neal.
Put all of those experiences together and its helped shape the coaching personality of the affable Starkey.
"I've been very fortunate in terms of who I have worked with. You could go back to Dale Brown and I took something different from everybody that I've worked with,'' he said. ``Dale Brown was such a great motivator and Coach (Sue) Gunter was Hall of Fame coach who was an incredible teacher. With all of the coaches I've worked for, I've realized it's all about relationships with your players. There are a lot of ways to coach the game, a lot of offenses and defenses, but the people who truly teach the game understand that it's about relationships.''
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