GARY -- When Nikki Monahan-Keith played basketball at IU Northwest, mom Lori and dad Grant never missed a game.
"It meant the world to me that they were able to travel and attend every single game," she said. "They did not miss a game all four years I was here. It was great being able to look in the stands and see familiar faces, to know you have that support, both for me individually and for the team. They were like parents to some of the other girls on the team as well."
Now that she's the RedHawks head coach, Monahan-Keith's all but assured that theme's not going to change by bringing on Grant to be part of her coaching staff.
"We have had a very good basketball relationship since I was little," she said. "He's always been my sounding board, talking about basketball. When he wasn't coaching, we'd always come home and talk about the games. That is a conversation over dinner a lot. We still do that. I thought, he's my guy, I'll keep him around. It's going to be very cool to have him alongside me to help me through this journey. We've already started talking game plans. It's going to be a very special time."
Part of Nicki's basketball development came in dad's school of hard knocks. She grew up not only playing against boys but men as Grant would bring her along to his pickup games.
"No slack," she said. "That's the way I like it. (That) helped with the competitive edge that I have. I also know nothing comes easy. Everything you have to do, you have to work hard for. I've spent countless hours in the gym. Both my family and my husband (Kyle)'s family are (big) sports families. It's a great support system for my son (Kole, 15 months). He'll be at all the games cheering us on. A big part of who I am is because of my family. My immediate family and extended family helped shape me into who I am."
Nicki Monahan-Keith's coaching staff at IU Northwest will include her dad,
Grant (left). They're pictured at her official introduction Wednesday at the
school along with her mom, Lori Monahan, son Kole Keith, grandmother
Betty Evensen and husband Kyle Keith.
After Jesse Ford left IUN for Purdue Northwest, Nicki, then a RedHawks assistant, told her dad she was going to apply for the job and asked him if he would be interested in helping.
"It's a dream come true to coach alongside here," Grant said. "There aren't too many people (who get to do that). I think this will help me get back to shooting baskets again. I haven't in a while. I'll see what time her practices are and if I can work my schedule. The second chair gets all the glory. I'm just going to sit back, relax, see what I see and offer advice."
The family focus will carry over to the team for Monahan-Keith, who will also have Sarah Martin, another RedHawk alum, continue as an assistant.
"I played at Portage High School, I'm pretty involved in the community, I love watching basketball, going to the local high school games, recruiting," Monahan-Keith said. "Trying to keep people local here to where they can play in front of their families -- that was a big aspect for me. They can be from anywhere in the United States. I definitely want to stay in the Region. We also recruit a lot in Illinois. I want to keep the local talent local."
IUN Director of Athletics Ryan Shelton, who coached Monahan-Keith, sees the same family culture in her coaching that he emphasized when he was on the bench.
"This feels very much like that, somebody who cares about it as much as I did," he said. "It's a really cool feeling to have one of our own, not just having an alum, but a true legacy player. A lot of people might have more experience, but one thing you're not going to find any place is her passion and commitment to this group of young women, this program, this university, how she feels about it."
Shelton shared the story of his recruitment of Monahan-Keith and how he told her he wasn't going to continue coaching if she didn't come there, drawing a big laugh from the Savannah Center gathering.
"Nicki is one of the big reasons I'm still here," he said. "That's how important I thought she was and how important I think she is now as our new leader. I really can't underestimate the job Nicki did keeping the group together. When you have a coaching change, there's that uncertainty for a while, who the next leader is going to be. Jessica Carrothers could go anywhere. She's a D-I player. Her deciding to stay at IU Northwest with this program and coach Monahan-Keith says a lot about the work she did behind the scenes to inspire confidence that everything they signed up to do here when they committed, they're going to reach those goals under her leadership."
Monahan-Keith believes her stint as assistant helped greatly in instilling that belief.
"I think it speaks to the relationships we've built," she said. "It's very cool that everyone chose to stay. It speaks to the culture we have here, to feel like a family, that they didn't want to leave. The girls know how I am as a coach. I built strong relationships with them over the last four years. I coached the whole time they've been here. They know I'm always here for them, first academically, second basketball. They know they can come talk to me about anything, everyday life. They have a lot to juggle. I'm very excited and I think they're very excited as well."
Nicki Monahan-Keith was introduced as the IU Northwest women's basketball coach on Wednesday. She is graduate of Portage High as well as IUN, where she starred as a player.
(Photo by Sara Perham)
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