McElhiney makes history

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Should she or shouldn’t she?

Ashley McElhiney was working the night shift at a tanning salon in Ohio last summer, weighing the pros and cons of accepting the head coaching job with the Nashville Rhythm men’s basketball team.

She’d turned down the offer a couple of months earlier, figuring she was better off beginning her coaching career under Ohio State’s Jim Foster, who had coached her at Vanderbilt.

But the Rhythm job was still open, and growing increasingly tempting.

Was it coincidence she heard what she did on the radio that evening, or was fate involved?

“I just happened to have it on while I was at work, and there was a quote from someone saying, ‘The things that people regret the most are the chances they don’t take,’ and that kind of stuck with me,” McElhiney said.

“I thought, ‘You can make it what you want, so why not give it a shot and see where it goes?’ “

Tonight, McElhiney will make history, becoming the first woman to coach a men’s professional basketball team when she guides the Rhythm against the Reigning Knights of Georgia at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena.

She’ll also face plenty of doubters, those who say she is little more than a publicity stunt for a new team in the attention-starved American Basketball Association.

She’s a woman. She’s never coached a game in her life, on any level. And she’s 23 years old.

Those who know her best, however, believe the former Commodores point guard is just the person to make it work.

They remember the pluck McElhiney showed when leading Gleason High School to a state championship in 1999, the knowledge of the game she displayed while setting Vanderbilt’s all-time assist record and the leadership she demonstrated in pushing the Commodores into the NCAA Tournament four consecutive seasons.

“The reality is that she’s played the game, she’s played in some pretty significant games and she’s had a terrific career,” said Foster, who coached McElhiney for three years at Vanderbilt.

“But most of all, she just gets it. Some people grow up with great mathematical minds or scientific minds. Others, like her, have minds for the athletic arena.”

At 5-foot-4, McElhiney may not literally be able to get in her players’ faces, but figuratively that hasn’t been a problem.

“The first few days she was just trying to feel everybody out and see how it was going,” said Rhythm guard Atiba Prater. “But now we’ve been over a week into it, and if it’s not right, it’s ‘Get on the line and run.’ She doesn’t have to get in anybody’s face. It’s just, ‘Get on the line.’ That’s the equivalent of getting right in somebody’s face.”

In truth, McElhiney isn’t overly vocal, at least not yet.

She picked her spots, but didn’t hesitate to speak up when she thought it necessary. Her message may not have been delivered in a booming baritone, but it still carried the weight of her title.

“First of all, she’s our boss, and second of all, she’s our coach,” said forward Dontae Jones.

“If you can’t follow directions, I don’t care if it’s from a woman or a kid or a 70-year-old, you aren’t going to get your job done. It’s a respect factor, first, and then second, it’s understanding what you’re here for.”

Why McElhiney?

The choice was made by Sally Anthony, the owner, lead singer of a rock band and a self-professed women’s rights advocate.

“I want to break down walls for women,” said Anthony, a Vanderbilt fan who saw the characteristics she was seeking while watching McElhiney play.

“I saw her ability in those situations to be a strong leader,” Anthony said. “And I’ve always said she has the qualities I looked for – desire, confidence, will to win and most importantly, she lacks fear.”

Anthony wasn’t worried about breaking new ground, either.

“I don’t think that gender should be a question anymore,” she said. “This is basketball. I’m surprised this hasn’t been done before.”

Now McElhiney is eager to prove the skeptics wrong.

“I’ve always used peoples’ doubts as motivation, and I will continue to,” she said. “You don’t pay attention to things like that. You have things lined up that you know you want to get accomplished, and you go at it with the right attitude.”