Slightly less than a year ago, Kelsey Corbin's primary obligation was to handle the point guard duties for Ball State University's women's basketball team.
Corbin, the Cardinals' lone senior in the starting lineup last season, tended to those responsibilities, averaging 12.1 points and 4.8 assists per game. After finishing her four-year career, Corbin ranked fourth all-time with 435 assists.
Following her career, Corbin had one more assist to give to the Cardinals' program. The 23-year-old has traded in her jersey, shorts and sneakers for a business skirt and high heels, becoming an assistant coach when head coach Tracy Roller left the team because of mononucleosis.
Lisa McDonald, Ball State's acting head coach during Roller's absence, said she's always seen the potential for Corbin to be a successful coach after her playing days.
"Kelsey was a great player and a great point guard, but I think she may be an even better coach," McDonald said. "We've had to adjust so much with coach Roller being out this year. Just like the players have stepped up, Kelsey has stepped up huge. She was kind of thrown into the fire with it, but she's done great."
Staying at Ball State to further her education, Corbin began the season as the Cardinals' director of basketball operations - a stark contrast to being a full-fledged assistant coach. As the director of basketball operations, NCAA regulations kept Corbin from even resembling a coach.
Corbin couldn't be involved with scouting reports and wasn't allowed to participate in recruiting. NCAA bylaws even go as far as to keep Corbin from talking during practice, preventing her from sharing her basketball knowledge as well as her familiarity with Ball State's program. Instead, she was relegated to rebound balls during shooting drills and handle other various miniscule tasks.
Corbin had no problems being thrown into the fire, but she said the opportunity to be a full-time coach for the first time came with plenty of nerves.
"I was really excited about the opportunity, but at the same time, I was worried about whether or not I was saying the right things," Corbin said. "The biggest thing that I've learned is you have to be extremely loyal to that head person, which right now is Lisa. You really want to make sure you're not contradicting anything that she happens to say. Being loyal to her is never in question, but you kinda step back a little bit and make sure you're saying the right things."
Corbin credited the assistance of her fellow coaches in helping her make the vast transition from player to coach so soon. In her first week on the job, which was finals week in late December, McDonald constantly checked to make sure she wasn't giving her first-time coach too much of a workload at one time.
"The first week I was like, 'Kelsey are you OK; can you handle all this?'" McDonald said. "She was just, 'Yeah, I'm fine. Why are you even asking me?' You know, she's handled everything in stride, and I think she's really surpassed our expectations."
It took Corbin more time than she initially expected to get past her natural desire to compete as a player on the floor, she said. Through her first couple games, Corbin said she would go home and immediately call her parents to tell them how much she missed playing with her teammates.
One of the transitions that would normally generate the most concern is changing roles from playing under a coach to sharing the sidelines with that same person. However, Corbin said she has continued to have a great relationship with McDonald, even now that she's coaching under her.
"In a way, she is still kind of my coach," Corbin said. "She's coaching me through this process, it's just on a different level. We got along great from a player-coach relationship. I felt like she gave me a lot of respect and listened to what I had to say in coming up with my own ideas when I was on the court. Now it's the same thing. She listens really well, and she really makes you feel like you have a say in things, and you're helping out in the effort to win."
One player who might have benefited the most from Corbin's move to the bench is current point guard Kiley Jarrett. Playing as Corbin's backup last season, Jarrett averaged four points and slightly more than two assists in 15.8 minutes per game. In her first season playing under Corbin, Jarrett has improved in almost every statistical category.
The junior averages 8.3 points and four assists per game and logs almost 35 minutes per contest. Since Corbin moved to the bench seven games ago, Jarrett's numbers have improved to 11 points and more than five assists per game.
After reaping the benefits of intense competition practice last year, Jarrett said, she is still growing with Corbin's guidance.
"It helps that I know she's just one look away over at the bench," Jarrett said. "If I'm doing something that might frustrate me a little bit, she calms me down real fast."
One of the stronger coaching attributes McDonald sees in Corbin is that ability to relate to her players. While Corbin earns invaluable experience assisting on the bench right now, McDonald said the sky is the only limit in Corbin's coaching career.
"She hasn't surprised anyone that she's done this well," McDonald said. "She's getting a lot of great experience, and that's all she needs because she knows the game, she knows how to handle players and she's a great communicator. I think she's got a great future ahead of her in coaching. She's going to move up the ladder very, very quickly."
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