Morgan Gates
Published: September 14, 2005
PJC’s new women’s basketball coach, Chanda Rigby already is getting the Lady Pirates involved in the community.
The team, along with Bill Waters, Lee Barnette, Chrissa Day, Dennis Reynolds, and President Dr. Thomas Delaino volunteered to pull for PJC at a recent United Way airplane pulling competition at the Pensacola Regional Airport. Members had to drag a 174,000-pound 727 Fed Ex plane 12 feet as fast and as hard as they could.
Rigby expects the team to represent the college and to play active roles in the community.
“We are looking for every opportunity to reach out to the community,” she said.
Rigby says there are other upcoming community functions where the Lady Pirates may serve. One function is a reading program for an elementary school, and another is helping out with the wheelchair games in celebration of Disabilities Awareness Day at the University of West Florida in October.
Originally from Franklin- ton, La., Rigby transferred to Pensacola from a coaching job at Holmes Community College in Mississippi. She and her husband have two boys, Ramsey, 8, and Randon, 6. She coached at Holmes for four years, and has 15 years of experience in coaching at the high school, junior college, and college level.
Her team was ranked 12th among junior colleges in the nation last year.
She says she enjoys coaching at the junior college level because it’s a transitional period for athletes who want to bring out their potential and make themselves better people. Individual player development is a philosophy Rigby advocates by building on the fundamentals of the game where she says, “They come in as good players, and leave as great players.” She also stands behind her phrase, “The basketball court is a classroom for life lessons.”
Rigby implements these ideas in a program that’s challenging for both her and the players. Rigby must work with the existing basketball program but also add her own flavor to it. Another challenge she faces is dealing with a new team. There are only two returning members, Shontel Johnson and Enjoli Howard.
Johnson, a 5’9″forward from Birmingham, Ala. said, “Everyone hustles, there are no attitudes, and everyone gets along.” Her outlook on basketball is “one team, one goal, one championship.”
Rigby’s program is a lot different, Howard said.
“It’s getting us built, and we’re doing a lot of hard work,” she said. The 6-foot guard and forward from Detroit, Mich. said her outlook on basketball is, “Only the strong survive.”
Rigby sees a lot of potential for the team to be strong and dynamic. Another thing that stands out to her is players have transferred from different high schools, colleges, and universities to bring their skills and talents to the court. One player, Jasmeen Roberts, decided to transfer from Mississippi State so she could still play under Rigby’s wing.
Roberts, the team’s 6’2″ center from Mathiston, Miss. said, “This was a second chance for me to play basketball with Coach Rigby. She’s a good coach. She helps me with my post moves and footwork.”
Rigby thinks she has found a winning combination at PJC.
“Out of all the places I’ve been and worked, PJC is the best place for opportunities for both employees and students,” she said. “The leadership is strong here, the atmosphere is family oriented, and you really can accomplish your dreams and goals.
“It is my wish for the basketball team to reflect how wonderful this institution really is.”