As Point Loma Nazarene University’s women’s basketball season ramps up, they’ve added a new member. Juliette Caughey joins the team as assistant coach from Jessup University. The team said she has been encouraging, easy to talk to and managing her responsibilities well.
Caughey played for Jessup for her four years in college before becoming a coach. Head Coach Charity Elliott said she knew Caughey was the right fit for the job.
“She was so professional in her interview, and everyone I talked to about her just raved about her as a person and coach,” Elliott said.
Since the season started, Caughey has dived into her new responsibilities as assistant coach.
“She handles all of our travel and is in charge of our post players, and she’s just crushing it in every way,” Elliott said.
Caughey said in addition to her responsibilities, she makes it a point to be a person the players can turn to for advice. She said her goals for the season are to aim to win the conference and maintain a strong mindset to impart to the team.
Having won the conference last year, Caughey said that it would be easy for the team to engage this new season with a defensive mindset, but she hopes to help them have an offensive mindset, striving for new opportunities this year.
“We’re not defending anything, we’re attacking new opportunities,” Caughey said.
While Caughey is a part of this tight-knit community of players and coaches, she did not meet the players until the season started. Having been thrown from the frying pan into the fire for this new role, she said that the little time she’s known her players has no bearing on the relationships she’s been able to build with them.
“It’s only been two and a half months, but it feels like I’ve known them for a while now,” Caughey said.
Guard Jocelyn Pascual, a second-year health science major, shared this sentiment on how Caughey has fostered relationships within the team.
“Coach Jules has aided in our team dynamic by consistently encouraging us on the court and fostering relationships with us off the court,” Pascual said. “When you have a coach you can talk to outside of basketball, it makes it easier to receive feedback from her.”
Pascual said Caughey’s ability and desire to foster relationships within the team make her a better coach, and one who is easier to listen to.
The Sea Lions’ next home game is on Dec. 13 against Dominican at 2 p.m.
Cade Michaelson