Jim Foster Hired As Ohio State Women's Basketball Coach
Transcript and Photos by J.C. Pennington

Ohio State Athletics Director Andy Geiger introduced Jim Foster as the new Ohio State women's basketball coach Sunday afternoon. The following is a transcript of Geiger's introduction and Foster's first meeting with the Ohio press corps.

Andy Geiger's introduction:

Good afternoon everybody. Thank you for coming out on a Sunday early afternoon.

I'm delighted to present to you our new head coach of women's basketball. His name is Jim Foster. He has a distinguished career record at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia and Vanderbilt University in the Southeastern Conference and Nashville, Tennessee.

Donna Foster, his wife, is here and one of his two sons, Andrew is here. Christian is cycling in a velodrome I think as we speak.

Coach Foster is a teacher of the game. He has extraordinary passion for the game of basketball. He has as disciples of his coaching, working in the profession, Debbie Patterson who is at Kansas State University. Geno Auriemma, I forget where he coaches. He worked with Coach Foster at St. Joseph's. Muffet McGraw at Notre Dame is a former assistant of Coach Foster's. He has numerous credentials in terms of the success of his players and certainly the won-lost record which you have before you speaks for itself.

All of those things are nice and special but his personal qualities, his love of the game, his devotion to teaching, his deep caring about his young people and their desire to be part of where ever he is in terms of his family and his coaching opportunity. His former players keep track of him and when there are reunions they are legion in terms of their coming back to be part of it.

He presents a family sort of effort and environment for his players. I'll let him talk a little bit about his team and his style and what he expects but I just sat with him for an hour with our team. I know our team will work very hard. Every individual will improve. As I've watched Vanderbilt teams over the last several years, I have marveled at how well the players improve from the beginning of the season to the end.

This is a master coach and an outstanding teacher. It is with a great deal of pleasure that I introduce to you our head coach for women's basketball Jim Foster.

Jim Foster's statement and press conference:

Two weeks ago today I was sitting in Ames, Iowa preparing for a regional final. I was very happy and satisfied with my lot in life. I had two children attending the university that I was coaching at. One is a sophomore and one is a junior. If you had told that two weeks from that day that I would be standing where I am today, I wouldn't have believed you.

When an opportunity knocks I've always been someone who has aspired to be at the highest levels. I feel that this university has the potential to win the last game of the season. I think there is only one team that can win the last game of the season and that's the team that wins the national championship. It's why I came here. It's what I think we can be about. In order to do that we've got to start winning the Big Ten. We've got to compete at the level necessary to be that team in March that plays at the end.

On May the first, I'm going to New York City for the second year in a row. The New York Athletic Club gives what they call the Winged Foot Award and the coach that wins the national championship is presented this award. The coach also is given the opportunity of inviting some people from their past to speak about their experiences with that individual. Last year I had that honor and was chosen by (Notre Dame coach) Muffet (McGraw) to speak about her career and her start. This year on May the first I'll be in New York talking about (UConn Coach) Geno (Auriemma). He's invited me to be on the dais. My goal here at Ohio State is to be able to invite Muffet and Geno to that event.
I'm open to questions.

What were the reasons for your decision?

You are presented with opportunities in life and you make decisions. I obviously had a comfort zone where I was. I think some where in the back of your mind there are special places and situations that are, I like to say, the ultimate challenge and this is one of those places. I think this is a place that cares deeply about their athletics and the tradition that they have. As I was walking down the hallway here (in the Schottenstein Center) and just looking at all of the names of the various sports up there that I recognized; it just leaves an impression. I think this is a great league. I think this is a school that can win this league and be a team that's at the top of this league. If you are at the top this league then you should be able to be playing seriously in March. Everything we do is geared towards playing in March. That's when it's fun. That's when your adrenaline is flowing. That's what players are in the gym in July for. That's what the 500 shots in the summer are for. That's what rehabbing from injuries is for. It's to play in March. It's to cut down nets. It's to be a champion. That's why I'm here.

What were your thoughts when you first heard this job was open and then what was your first contact?

I think it's always in your mind, jobs out there that are intriguing and you think about them. When they open it triggers some thought. I believe it was Tuesday after our game in Iowa, Ohio State called for permission to talk and it was granted. I met with Andy in San Antonio (site of the women's final four). Michelle (Willis, OSU assistant AD) was there also. We spent three hours together. I don't know how long it was scheduled for.

Sometimes fate has a way of entering into things. Let me explain something to you. My wife and I on Thursday evening arrived in San Antonio and decided we were going to have dinner together. So we were wandering around the River Walk. If you've ever been in San Antonio it's a very attractive place. I saw this restaurant across the water and we crossed over a bridge and as I was walking I made eye contact with somebody and I said, "Boy, that guy looks familiar." I didn't think much of it. I was still in the season mindset and looked right through it, looked at the menu and decided we were going to eat and walked in and there is Michelle sitting with Andy. Now I recognized the guy. This is Thursday. I'm supposed to meet with him Friday. Fate you'd say. So we meet Friday. Good friends (of the Foster's) come in from Pittsburgh, life-long friends. We decide to go out to dinner. Pick a fine restaurant. Walk in, sit down, look up and Michelle's looking at me. It happened again. So maybe fate decided this. I'm not sure. But I know I've got a great deal in common with my administrative cohorts here as far as what's a good restaurant.

I was invited after that three hours to come and visit campus. I came up this past Thursday and I was impressed by what I saw. Make no mistake about it, I'm a...I've got a lot of good and close friends in the basketball business and Jim O'Brien's been a friend of mine. I've known him for a long time. I had lunch with him and had a real comfort zone. Obviously the ability to ask him questions at a different level and get answers at a different level was important to me. It just started to make a decision a little bit easier to accept if I was going to come here. I went through a process as I always do about these things. Once I resolved the leaving your players issue which is, to me, the most difficult thing in sports. I made a decision I wanted to be here. Couldn't be happier.

Have you met with the Ohio State players?

We met. We just spent an hour together. My message is that we are going to be the hardest working team in this league. My message is that we are going to share the basketball. My message is that we are going to have a passion for this game. My message is that we want this place to be a place that no one wants to walk into. We want to hang some banners up. We want to win. We want to celebrate together.

Will your staff come with you?

It looks that way. I've got to get some jobs for a husband of one of the (assistant coaches) and a wife of a coach. We are going to work on that and every indication is that it's probably going to happen as we speak. There could always be things that get in the way but I feel pretty confident having talked to the three of them that they will be here.

Have you talked to your Vandy players?

I had Ashley (McElhiney) and Chantelle (Anderson) over for dinner Friday night. Yesterday I got together with about six of them on campus. I've talked to them and I will be in the process of leaving messages on phone machines and I'll talk to the others before the day is out.

How good will they be next year?

I think they can win the whole thing. I think Chantelle Anderson is a special player and Ashley McElhieny has got the biggest heart in college basketball.

Are you a five-year plan guy? Are you a one-year plan guy?

Give me a day in the gym so I can tell you if I'm a one-year plan guy. I want to win next year. I want to be in the NCAA tournament. I've found out one thing. I've found out three years ago when we didn't go I was miserable. That selection show I didn't look at it. I didn't read a paper for two weeks. It was a bad time. I know what I like to do in March. I like to be working when everybody else is at home.

Importance of combining athletics and academics?

These guys are going to play for four years. They are going to, hopefully, live to be about 80. So if you don't understand the significance or importance of preparing yourself for that 60 years in the work force and the way social security is going and medicine is going, it might be 90 and they might get to retire at 85. They've got to get ready for reality. That's part of my job. I'm about reality. It's very easy in the dimension we work in; it's about winning and losing. That's reality. Some of the other stuff is a little more abstract but it's there and it's part of our job to teach it.

Have you recruited in Ohio? Do you have contacts here and what do you think about the prospect of working with the talent in Ohio?

I've had some pretty good Ohio players. I think the ideal situation is to be at a state university, THE state university in a state that is full of players. People that go to bed at night and dream of being a Buckeye. I haven't been at places that that's been the case. And we've been pretty successful in recruiting both at St. Joseph's and at Vanderbilt. I'm sure there are some very good players in this state right now that have dreamed of being a Buckeye and we want to get them. We want to get the ones that will help us win and help us be a good team.

Was the financial part of the deal a major reason for the decision?

No, I had a great financial deal where I was. I don't make decision based on that. I'm comfortable. In fact, I'm now paying full tuition room and board at Vanderbilt. If you want to look that up in the catalogue....(laughs). Twice. Twice. I told my sons they are on an accelerated program as of now.

What was the main reason for the move?

I think I've said it. I think this is a major university in a major conference that sits in a state that's got great players. You are about different opportunities and challenges in life. And to me, I was ready for another opportunity and another challenge. It's something I want to do at this time in my life. I think you take advantage of opportunities when they are there and this one is a significant one. I just relish the opportunity to get after it. I can't wait to be in the gym tomorrow, be in the gym with these players within the parameters of NCAA rules. We are going to start it tomorrow.

How many years is your contract for?

(Looks at Geiger) Five? I'm not up on details.

Have you met any of the Ohio State kids before?

I don't think met. I've seen (them) play. I've seen some of them play. Actually, unbeknownst to me I used a tape of when they played Louisville this year and we were playing them so scouting and watching tape I'm watching (them). But when I was watching it I was watching Louisville. I think I have a copy of it somewhere. Whether I'm going to watch it or not, to me it's about tomorrow and coming to the gym and spending a few days. I don't have any preconceived notions based on what has been.

There were some discussions in March about whether the NCAA does or does not stack some coaches in the same region, your perspective on that? And also on being the only male women's coach in the Big Ten. Do you think you will be well received?

You are looking at the only male who has been the president of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. I've been in a room as a male with females my whole life, whether I'm in the lockerroom, whether I'm in a room administratively, a room of USA Basketball. It's the world I live in.

Stacking the field? That's for a lot of people to have a long discussion in the off-season. That's what sports are about, the off-season. Recruiting talk. Seeding talk. My feeling is this. Usually at the end of the season the best team wins the national championship. In order to do that you've got to get through people.

What's your take on the people who say women's teams should be coached by women?

I think women should be coaching some men's basketball teams. If you look at the world we live in, if you go to a hospital and you ask for the best surgeon and it's Dr. Susan Jones, she's the best surgeon. Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Ginsburg sit on the Supreme Court. The world is a different place today. I don't think any one group should be just with one grouping. It's a bigger, more open world than that.

I've been doing this for 24 years in college and three more in high school I coached girls. I coached boys for two years. So I've been doing this for 27 years. That's the way I've made my living and I've given a lot back to the game as well as I've gotten from the game.

Did Gordon Gee (former OSU president and current Vanderbilt president) tell you avoid this place at all costs?

Gordon Gee and David Williams were nothing but complimentary and you could see that they had a love some where in their hearts for Ohio State just as they now have a love for Vanderbilt.

As a teacher of basketball fundamentals, what are the most important things to success?

Fundamentally? Probably the ability to move your feet. On the defensive end of the floor keep yourself in front of the ball and offensively to value and understand what a good shot is. I could take four of you guys and go out and get on the floor with them and we'd get shots off. We'll get shots off...I don't know if we could rebound but I know we could get shots off but would they be good shots?

Do you have a scheduling philosophy for non-conference games? You can either schedule tough teams and take more losses than you might if you schedule cupcakes and build a good record.

I think five of the last six years my team's strength of schedule has been between two and six and there are 320-some division one schools. What does that tell you? I think November and December is an opportunity to play teams that are going to play in March from a wide variety of geographical locations. Basketball is played a little bit differently some places but when we go, we usually try to plug in to the top of the league, play a good team, away and home. Unless you go into harsh environments you are not ready for harsh environments. I would like to make this a harsh environment.