Coach, Owner Won't Let Gender Specifically Matter

Ashley McElhiney speaks with reporters after being named head coach of the Nashville Rhythm. By Sanford Myers, The Tennessean

Ashley McElhiney, 22, a 2003 graduate and starting point guard from Vanderbilt University, made history this week when she was hired to coach the ABA expansion Nashville Rhythm, becoming the first woman to coach a men's pro team. McElhiney and team owner and pop singer Sally Anthony talked to USA TODAY's Bob Velin:

Q: How will you gain the respect of players on your team who might think they should be playing in the NBA?

McElhiney: It starts with bringing in players who want to play for me. They'll know up front they're going to be playing for a 22-year-old female right out of college with no coaching experience. If they don't want to do that, they don't have to play for us.

Q:How much did you learn about coaching at Vanderbilt?

McElhiney: Coach (Jim) Foster and I were very close. We watched film together all the time. I was a point guard who was the leader on the court; I've been in pressure situations. By no means am I going to act like I know everything.

Q: What does it mean to you to be the first female coach in men's pro sports?

McElhiney: It's been a little overwhelming. It's exciting to do something nobody's done before. ... It's an opportunity of a lifetime.

Anthony: I totally have faith in Ashley's ability. She's fearless and she's not involved in the politics of basketball yet. She's kind of a virgin to the world of coaching. ... I'm not going to let guys disrespect her. She's a tough cookie. I don't think she's going to get pushed around as much as everyone thinks she is.

Q: Aren't you afraid of taking a men's team and trying to make them believe you know more about the game than they do?

McElhiney: It's going to be a lot of hard work put on my shoulders, but I'm used to that. I wasn't given a scholarship at Vanderbilt. I'm 5-5, undersized, people have doubted me forever. They said I'd never make it in Division I. I have to do my homework, be confident in what I say, and I want to come across like I do know more than you.

Q: You two are close in age. Do you have a lot in common?

Anthony: We're both in our 20s, so we can go do an interview and then shop and have fun. ... We're sharing clothes and stuff. She wore my jeans on TV (Wednesday). We're trying to make it fun and exciting. It's a great opportunity for her, and a great opportunity for me to be able to put her in that position, and for women in general.

Source: USAToday