By Phil Wrighthouse
Mass Communication, Sophomore

Coach Sharon Versyp's job may, on paper, be about offenses and defenses. But, on a more tangible level, she says it's all about communication.
           
"Communication is the key," said Versyp, a department alumna who's in her first year as head coach of the Purdue women's basketball team.  "From everything from non-verbal communication on the court to interviews off it, communication's everywhere."
           
Versyp, B.A., 1989, returns to Purdue after a successful rebuilding of the Indiana women's basketball team and a rising career that brought her to some of the toughest areas for the sport.

"I coached basketball in Maine," said Versyp, who has a 117-65 record in six seasons as an NCAA Division I head coach.  "If people think they're serious about basketball in Indiana, they've never seen Maine fans. That's one of the highest-pressure situations I've ever been in."

That pressure continues at Purdue. Versyp has to fill some pretty big shoes: Kristy Curry had firmly established the program as a perennial contender.

But Versyp has lived the majority of her life in some sort of spotlight. She was the first Indiana Miss Basketball player to attend Purdue. She was a standout starter all four years at Purdue, and remains one of only seven players in Purdue history to start all four years. During her year at IU, she guided the Hoosiers to a 19-14 overall record. The turnaround from a 10-18 campaign in 2004-05 stands as the second-best improvement in Indiana history.

Each step in her career, she found the communication skills she learned at Purdue to be invaluable.

"Being a coach you're talking to a huge variety of people, from support staff to boosters to the people on your team," said Versyp.  "You need to communicate differently with all those people, sometimes for the sake of your team or job."

Part of Versyp's inaugural season has been increasing the team's public exposure and service in the community.

"You need to give back to the community where your fans are," said Versyp.  "People love that personal touch."

It looks as if Versyp's philosophies are paying off.  The Boilers were ranked in the Top 20 nationally in the early season.

"Purdue is a great school.  It gave me an incredible education," said Versyp.  "That means more than anything that's happened in my career.  I just hope I can start a new tradition here at Purdue."