The Colonel basketball team will experience something for the first time in Nicholls women’s basketball history on Nov. 30 when they host Louisiana State University.Not only will it be the first matchup of the Colonels and Tigers in Thibodaux, but it will also be mother versus daughter.
Nicholls head coach DoBee Plaisance will be coaching against her daughter, Theresa, who is a forward for LSU.
“I think it will be a great opportunity for Nicholls State and a great opportunity for the city of Thibodaux,” Plaisance said. “I am very grateful to Van Chancellor (LSU head coach) and LSU for giving Nicholls the opportunity to host them.”
When asked about the opportunity to coach against her daughter, Plaisance had mixed emotions.
“It’s going to be a balancing act for me,” Plaisance said. “As a mother, I want her to do well, and at the same time, I am going to be coaching Nicholls as hard as we can to compete against one of the top 26 teams in the country.”
Theresa was a standout player at Ursuline Academy in New Orleans and Vandebilt Catholic where she helped lead Vandebilt to its first state championship her senior year. She was also a member of the USA Basketball U18 national team.
Playing against her daughter may seem like an advantage, after coaching her and watching her play, but Plaisance thinks it will be a wash.
“Van’s coaching staff is probably one of the best scout teams in the country,” Plaisance said. “He will know everything we do, from how we go drink water at the water fountain, and that’s why they are so successful.”
Though there may not be a physical advantage, she did note that there might be other ways she would have a psychological advantage over Theresa.
“I can tell the kids to tell her some things, like ‘You hit this three, your mom’s cutting off your cell phone,’ ” Plaisance joked.
The Colonels and Tigers do not play for another week, but Plaisance is not looking too far ahead.
“I get so in the zone coaching, I think I’ll get more caught up in the moment,” Plaisance said. “I can tell you I want the best for LSU and Theresa, and on that day I’m going to be coaching my butt off the best we can to represent Nicholls against arguably one of the best team in the country.”
The Colonels opened the regular season last week with a 74-59 victory over Southern University at New Orleans in front of a great crowd, and Plaisance hopes that it will continue.
“I am so grateful of the support we have had in the stands, I can’t say enough about it,” Plaisance said. “A Friday night when most of the students aren’t here, it was unbelievable. We’re getting a good crowd in here, and I am very excited about it. I can’t thank the fans enough, and I pray for their continued support because they do mean a lot to us.”
The Colonels and Tigers will square off on Nov. 30 inside Stopher Gym with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m.
