 "Photo: Courtesy UMKC Athletics")
Candace Whitaker's love for basketball started in the third grade.
Since then, she has carried that love for the sport with her as a player, and now, a head coach.
Whitaker, a native of Canyon, Texas, is working through her third season as head coach of the UMKC women's basketball team.
Whitaker started playing basketball in third grade and attributes her love of the game to her mother's position as a junior-high coach.
"My interest in basketball is both from my mother and from my native state, Texas," Whitaker said. "Women's basketball is a big thing there and my mother's position and the fact that she was a great player increased my interest."
Whitaker continued playing through college and attained a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Sport Science from Texas Tech in 2002. She then received a Master of Sports Administration from Valparaiso University in 2004.
Whitaker took over as head coach on Dec. 11, 2006, and was one of the youngest head coaches in the nation at 26.
"I think that my age allows me to just hang out with the players," she said. "But I don't know how it will be when I'm 55."
Even with this connection to the players, she still pushes them hard to improve their playing ability.
The Roos suffered a 66-55 loss to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Dec. 2, and their record fell to 2-4, so Whitaker is looking to improve in several areas.
"I think we need to see more carry over from practice to games," Whitaker said. "The team is so on point in practice, but when the game lights turn on they lose some of that focus."
In addition to the challenges of improving the team, Whitaker and her husband, Matt, are expecting their first child. However, the team has been extremely supportive and, regardless of how overwhelming it all seems, Whitaker is determined to keep the team going strong and to keep improving.
"The team has been extremely supportive of me and my husband," Whitaker said. "The challenge will come with being a first-time mother and doing my job at the same time."
She pushes her players on the court but also pushes them in the classroom.
"I really encourage the girls doing well in the classroom and getting an education," she said. "There aren't too many opportunities in sports to make a lot of money as an athlete unless you go pro and I want these girls to have educations to fall back on."
jpfortmiller@unews.com
