After beginning the season with the greatest start in school history, the Nicholls State women’s basketball team found itself becoming complacent.
Following a three-game winning streak, the Colonels lost three of their last four games at the end of January. Head coach DoBee Plaisance was none too pleased because she saw her club was getting comfortable, resulting in the recent struggles.
“How do we battle complacency? My knee-jerk reaction is for us to always have this sense of urgency,” Plaisance said. “They always need to have this sense that somebody is chasing them. If you always feel like somebody is chasing you, you can’t get complacent.”
As head coach, Plaisance watched her team sprint up and down the court during a scrimmage, Plaisance noticed that her team was becoming complacent again.
“That’s the problem,” Plaisance said. “We got comfortable. ‘It doesn’t matter if it’s a Tuesday or it’s not a game.’ All of those mental decisions that certain players made to stop playing at the end will cost us in the game.”
Junior guard KK Babin admits that the team will sometimes look at a 10-point lead on the scoreboard and view it as a cushion.
“We really need to work on that because that’s our struggle right now,” Babin said. “We need to push tempo and always act like we’re down.”
Plaisance said the team had multiple 10-point leads against Northwestern on the road that the team watched slip away, but since then, the Colonels lost two of their next three games. Nicholls now holds a record of 12-7.
Though the Colonels went through a rocky stretch, Plaisance never doubted her team. Plaisance always preached to them that they have to “kick the dog while it’s down.” She always preached a finishing mentality.
“The good news is that they are great kids. Each and everyone one of them gets it, and as a coach, I have to keep coaching and I have to keep teaching, pumping them up,” Plaisance said. “We’re going to be fine.”
In a loss against Sam Houston State, Babin reached a milestone. She became one of 11 players in Nicholls history to reach 1,000 points. Her teammate, senior forward Alisha Allen is on the list as well.
“I’m excited for it, but I really just wanted that win,” Babin said.
Plaisance said that Babin is a player that any coach would be blessed to coach. She added that she has always been the glue that has held this team together.
“She is the nucleus,” Plaisance said. “She brings so much to the table with her unbelievable character, innate abilities and her skill.”
Babin led the Colonels in scoring against Sam Houston State with 17 and also had a game-high five assists.
“She gives me a sense of comfort because she’s going to make this thing work. I won’t get complacent though,” Plaisance said.