WS Chronicle

LaQuanda Barksdale Quick was one of the all time greats that has ever stepped foot on a basketball court for the West Forsyth Titans.  The former UNC-Chapel Hill Tar Heel recently accepted the head coaching position for Meredith College in Raleigh.

Quick is a former first-round draft pick of the Portland Fire of the WNBA back in 2001.  Quick played a few years in the WNBA and overseas, but found her niche in coaching when she and her husband started a family.

“I got married during my career in the WNBA and I got pregnant with my son my third year, so I stepped away from the game as a player but I still wanted to be involved in the game some sort of way,” said Quick.  “I started doing individual skill development and that kind of snowballed into being asked to be an assistant coach and then a head coach.”

Quick began her coaching career at West Forsyth as an assistant coach but soon took over the head coaching position for the varsity girls.  She has also coached at Winston-Salem State University and most recently at the University of West Florida.  Quick says she was looking for an opportunity to get back to North Carolina to be closer to her family, so this was the perfect opportunity.

“I saw the job posted on different websites and I have been trying to get back to North Carolina from coaching at University of West Florida, so I thought to myself it would be a good idea to apply for it and see what they had to offer,” she said.

“I am extremely excited to get back and I have a very supportive husband and son that have been able to put up with my passion for being a coach.  I have been down in Pensacola for the past few years and they have been up in the Forsyth County area, so I was just at the point that I wanted to be back where they were.”

Quick stated she expects to hit the ground running once she takes over the program.  While at West Florida she helped lead the Argonauts to the program’s first Division II Regional Championship and Elite Eight appearances in 2017.

“I think they have some pretty good pieces to the puzzle that I can go out and recruit and add to for this upcoming season, she stated.  “I feel like we can definitely be at the top of our division because Greensboro College has dominated the division, so I think we can compete with them for that top spot in the Eastern Division.

As far as coaching goes, Quick says her past playing experience at a top Division I school and the WNBA is not what makes her so good.  She feels many players have attempted to transition into coaching but have not done well.

“My passion for the game and my passion to get better every year is the difference for me,” said Quick.  “I attend several clinics a year to get better as a coach and I think that’s what gives me more of an advantage than actually my playing career.”

Defense has been the backbone of Quick’s coaching style throughout her career.  She has used a particular style of defense that has worked on all levels she has coached and plans to bring that style to Meredith as well.

Quick says she has high expectations for her first year at Meredith.  She wants to bring in kids that are passionate about the game as well as the school.

“I want to increase the wins, build the numbers on the roster and I hope to win a championship or at least being in the championship game,” Quick stated as to what would be a successful first year in her eyes.