INDIANAPOLIS--Cam Fuller chats with Milwaukee head coach Kyle Rechlicz. The Panthers are coming off a 75-64 win at Green Bay and face Cleveland State tonight, a program that Rechlicz served as an assistant coach at from 2003-07.
Meet Kyle Rechlicz
Hometown: Indianapolis, Ind.
Experience: Second season
Alma Mater: Wisconsin, ‘03
Career Background
- Named the Milwaukee head coach May 8, 2012. At the time, was the eighth youngest women's basketball coach in NCAA Division I.
- In her first season, Milwaukee broke 10 school records including three-pointers made in a season and fewest turnovers per game.
- After posting a 9-20 record in year one, Milwaukee is off to a 5-9 start.
- Posted a 75-64 win at Green Bay on Jan. 11, knocking off the Phoenix for the first time since February 4, 2006.
- Served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Wisconsin from 2011-12, associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Dayton from 2007-11 and assistant coach at Cleveland State from 2003-07.
- Known as a prolific three-pointer shooter in college, Rechlicz (Black) led Wisconsin to NCAA Tournament berths in 2001 and 2002
First off, talk about the excitement in the locker room after Milwaukee’s 75-64 win at Green Bay on Jan. 11.
It was just a lot of elatement, you have three seniors on our team who have never beaten Green Bay, so to get that win at their place—entering the locker room and seeing their faces was just pure joy. We really celebrated like a family, it was pretty neat to have everybody so excited for each other, especially for our seniors.
You said after the Green Bay game, “We made our mark today and proved to a lot of people that we can play with teams like that.” What is it going to take to consistently play at that level?
Defense, and that is what we have been harping on from the end of last year and the beginning of this year. Once we get our defense in place and figure it out, then we can start playing with better competition. We’ve always had great scorers on the court and really feel like we have a team that can score the basketball but we just weren’t figuring out the defensive side. Something has clicked in the last four games and a lot of it has been with defense and that has to continue if we want to continue to be successful.
Angela Rodriguez is fifth in the league in scoring at 17.7 points per game and leads the league in assists at 6.0 assists per game. Describe the impact Rodriguez has not only offensively, but defensively.
Her defense is incredibly improved—she is in the stance more and really talking. I think that she realizes that she is the first line of defense, she is the person that picks up the ball so she has to make that statement that we have to get a stop on this possession and she has really taken a lot of pride in that. On the offensive end we put the ball in her hands about 95% of the time and have her going off the first ball screen. Not only is she leading us in scoring, but she’s also leading the league in assists and that’s the mark of a true player.
The Panthers have had two freshman in back-to-back weeks earn Horizon League Freshman of the Week honors. Talk about the strong play of newcomers Bre'Zall Warren and Sydney Snower.
They both came in with a level of toughness that we really needed, even a feistiness. We always knew Bre could score, she came out of high school with a ton of points out of Louisiana so we knew her mark would be more on the offensive end. Sydney balances her very well because she is usually one of our better defenders so she is more of a defensive player for us. The intensity that the two of them bring and the level of passion they have for the game of basketball has elevated our program.
Before accepting the Milwaukee job in May 2012, you served as an assistant coach under Kate Peterson Abiad at Cleveland State from 2003-07. How exciting is it to get back to Cleveland at least once per season?
It is very exciting—Kate Peterson has done a great job in maintaining the status of her program. She has brought in exceptional players that can score inside and out with a lot of athleticism. I don’t really look at it as much as a rivalry between a past place I’ve been at, I think it’s fun to go back to a place and see former people I worked with.
After serving as an assistant coach from 2003-2012 with stops at Dayton, Cleveland State and Wisconsin, what has been the biggest challenge about leading your own program?
It’s very different it’s a lot more managing and time management. As an assistant I was able to be much more detail oriented in the roles that I was in. I think a big challenge that a lot of head coaches have is the fact that they have to manage all parts and also go out in the public at community events and get people interested in the program from a public standpoint as well. It’s just so much more on your plate, and you can’t be as detail oriented, you have to see the big picture. In all honesty, you have to hire people you trust because they are the people that are putting the work in behind the scenes to make sure everything runs smoothly.
Many Wisconsin basketball fans know you as Kyle Black from your time as a Badger from 1998-2002. Do you believe coaches like yourself who played basketball at a high level can relate better to their student-athletes?
I don’t know I would necessary say that, I think it’s more a passion for the game that really gets you invested in your players, it’s a passion for where you want your student-athletes to go, how you want them to be successful on and off the court and just a love for basketball. Having played at a high level, I understand what they’re going through so I can help and understand if they’re really stressed and I can tell the ins and outs of our own players because I played, but as far as how to motivate your players, I think that comes from a love and passion for the game. I think our league is very fortunate because we have a lot of coaches who sincerely love the game and would do anything for their players.
In the off-season, what are some things you enjoy doing away from the court?
I love spending time with my family, I’ve been married for over 10 years and we have a daughter who is eight. Just having the opportunity to spend time with her—she’s starting to get into her own sports, basketball and stuff so trying to become a mom is a hobby within itself (laughs). I also love photography, that’s another passion I have. I love going out and taking pictures whether it would be still scenes or action shots, it’s calming for me.
If you weren’t coaching basketball, where would you be?
If I could pick any profession that I wanted to be in other than coaching, I would be a famous artist and have my own studio in New York City. I love crafts and doing arts.
What’s one thing Horizon League basketball fans can expect from Milwaukee basketball this season?
They can expect that whether the outcome is a win or loss, the team is going to give everything that they possibly have. Just the fire in our player’s eyes and the motivation and the will is extremely high at Milwaukee. We’re going to give 100% and leave it all on the court. Whether we are ahead or behind at the final score—there has not been a time I’ve walked in the locker room and said we got out played, sometimes the ball just doesn’t fall in the basket the way we want it to.
