While most people’s blood runs red, some might say that Kristi Perkin’s blood runs orange. As a member of the Small family, she has been a gym-rat since before she was able to walk. In her fourth season as Jena High School Lady Giants girls’ basketball head coach, Coach Perkins has built not only a pre-eminent program in District 3-3A, but she has positioned herself to become arguably one of the elite coaches in girls’ basketball.
As a quintessential point guard in college, it comes as no surprise that she has transitioned from the court playing the game to the sideline coaching the game. She has taken the Lady Giants program that was struggling to win games to the second round of the playoffs during this year’s basketball season. This is a feat that had not been accomplished there in over 10 years.
What has been the most difficult part of your responsibility as head coach?
Trying to understand that most of the young ladies I coach are not as passionate about the game as I am. A large number of the ladies that I will coach have no desire to play at the next level. Therefore, they do not understand the importance of year round basketball to develop and build their skills. A large majority of high school student-athletes believe that hard –work should only be displayed between pre-season to the end of the season for their respective sport. However, in order to compete at a higher level or build a successful program, they have to be willing to go hard year round.
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Coach Kristi Perkins