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Scovel Reflects on Program She Built

Posted: 7:52 PM Mar 13, 2012
Reporter: Scott Rossman

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Panama City, FL--For Gulf Coast's Roonie Scovel, it's the end of the line in terms of coaching. And now perhaps it's time to start reflecting back on the incredible job she did of building the Gulf Coast women's basketball program.

The Hall of Famer coached the Lady Commodores for the final time last Saturday, suffering a heart breaking 4 point loss to Pensacola in the state championship game. Tuesday morning I asked coach Scovel if the realization that her coaching career is over, has really hit her yet, her response.

"I've just kind of let the emotions come to me and not try to dictate how I'm supposed to feel. So I would say at this point, maybe not. Coach Hicks has a lot of wisdom of going through the retirement phase. And as I keep saying I'm relieved, and I feel good and I'm satisfied,he says it's yet to come. So I'll take wisdom and just wait for the moment that it will finally hit me, I guess."

That loss to Pensacola Saturday was a tough one, they had an 11 point lead before Keyrra Gillespie got hurt, and that certainly was a factor.

Still given the fans of all the teams, especially Chipola, were so supportive and friendly, and given her team really gave her everything she could ask, well it sort of made it a nice way to go out.

"I truly, truly enjoyed coaching these players this year" says Scovel. "And I don't think coaches get to say that every year. And I think this was a very special team that I really liked coming to practice every day. I really enjoyed it. I think that I was just blessed to go out on a year where I just don't have any complaints. I'm just completely satisfied, I would have loved for the young ladies to be making that trip to Kansas because I thought they paid the price, I thought that they deserved to win. But you know everything's not made to be that way. And we gave it our best. I have no regrets on the effort that was given to try to win."

And though she'll stay on for the next five years as a student adviser, she walks away from the her job in the gym.

A gym by the way where she posted 28 different conference, state and national championship banners.

Banners she says she never paid much attention to, until very recently.

"Now I think the building kind of surrounds me and the banners surround me. And the stories, the banners are a piece of cloth, but they represent much more. They represent so many people that were involved in our program. And the young ladies lives that I got to be a part of and hopefully shape a few, o influence in in some way. So I think now more than ever before in the 16 years, I've paid attention to the surroundings. Maybe not just a person in the building, but the building is kind of in the person now. So yes I have. And I've tried to enjoy that the last month, is try to embrace all that and really taken in all that's meant over the last 16 years, and it's very, very, very satisfying."