MUNCIE, Ind. — When sports history is made, most teams would celebrate and be excited and content with their accomplishments during the season. For Head Coach Tyronda Benning and the Delta Eagles, making history was the expectation before the season even started.
“I told my girls at the beginning of the season that my expectation was to win sectional and regional because I knew our capabilities,” said Benning.
With that expectation reached, the former Ball State Cardinal guard in her second year coaching the Eagles knew to get here, the culture had to change and the toughness needed to be retaught.
“Oh honestly, it's only my second year, so it's the second year, it’s a culture thing that they kind of reverted back to before I got here,” Benning explained. “So I had to kind of retrain them to be tough again, how to understand that they're not tired when they think they’re tired.”
Part of that toughness is a team mentality.
“Our mentality has to change, it’s what I said earlier about the dog mentality about perseverance when things aren’t going our way,” Benning said. “You don’t know how Saturday will go. So at the end of the day, you have to fight, be able to manage and be able to manage and stay strong throughout the entire time, and have that fight the entire time.”
That toughness and mentality doesn't only come from the athletes, however, it also comes from Coach Benning on the court as well, when she suits up against her own squad to prepare them for their next opponent.
“I told my other assistants, I said ‘I don’t want to do it but I gotta practice with them this week, so that way they are prepared for what’s coming at Norwood,’” said Benning.
As the mentality grows throughout the squad, Coach Benning has a different mentality to give her star junior, Jillian Benning.
“Really, my coach is telling me that I am the best,” Jillian stated. As she heads into this next game, Barr is averaging 16.9 points per game, 10.1 rebounds per game, and 4.0 assists per game while staying active on the opposite side of the ball with 4.0 steals per game and 4.0 blocks per game this season. But being a leader on the court and leading her squad in every major statistical category was her expectation.
“I knew I was going to be leading all categories, especially since I had a great freshman year. So just stepping up for my team, knowing that I can fill that role for all my teammates,” said Jillian.
Even with her season achievements, on Saturday her stats go back to zero across the board and Barr has to prove once again that she is the best on the court against the Norwell Knights at 10 a.m..
Contact Max Robson with comments at maxwell.robson@bsu.edu.
