Basketball has always been a part of life for LeDawn Gibson. She played throughout her her high school years. And she became a coach after exiting college. While in college she earned a bachelor’s degree in business as well as a master’s degree in education.
After coaching high school for a 12 years she made the switch to college basketball. In 2008 she became the women’s basketball coach at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University.
After watching the women’s basketball game on Martin Luther King Day it was evident that Gibson really cares about her players. During the tense moments of the game she showed that passion when discussing plays and strategy with the assistant coaches. When foul trouble or a questionable play was in the midst, she she did not say much to the players as they had a sense of what to do already and did not look immediately at the coach for guidance.
This shows that they have been through great training and practice to always stay calm and level-headed while still maintaining that aggressiveness on the court.
While the women were able to turn the tide and achieve a win against Delaware State, there is more to the story then just the score. Coach Gibson led the team in its most clutch moments during the game. Unlike other coaches she maintained her composure no matter what play was called or when they were down by a few points.
Gibson has already made a name for herself. She has years of experience as a coach prior to her time at FAMU. Once she arrived to coach the Rattlers she had an excellent first season and a few years back she coached the team to a 14-game winning streak. With her basketball experience combined with her educational background she is able to incorporate those same methods of discipline she learned from the two and teach her players effectively. She and her players show a good skillset that could get them through even the toughest season. It seems possible she could lead her team to more victories this season.
Gibson was not available immediately after Monday’s game. She and the coaching staff left the building early.
FAMU, with a 4-14 record (2-3 in conference play) is off until Jan. 27 when the Rattlers play at Hampton.