Angelina College Names Lees Head Women's Basketball Coach

By GARY STALLARD

AC Athletics

Addie Lees spent a few years strolling the sidelines of countless Region XIV women's basketball games. Then the head coach at Kilgore College, Lees built quite a resume before taking on roles at other levels, including her most recent tenure at the NCAA level. At Kilgore, Lees ran the Rangers to three 20-win seasons and a national ranking – all in a league known for being one of the best conferences in the entire nation.

So yes, she's all-too-familiar with the level of competition at this level – and she said she can't wait to get reacquainted with those battles.

Lees on Thursday was named the head coach for the Angelina College women's basketball team, and she's ready to get the ball rolling inside Shands Gymnasium.

"I'm a competitor, and Region XIV produces phenomenal student-athletes year after year," Lees said of her decision to return to Region XIV.  "This league has exceptional coaches, and when this opportunity arose, I just thought, 'Why not be a part of that again?'"

Adding to her desire to return to East Texas was the impression AC athletics and the administration made on her, not just recently, but over the past few years.

"It's the people here," Lees said. "I believe in influence and positive impact, and I want to be a part of something special.

"Angelina College is trending upward," Lees noted. "They've got people in place to help everyone succeed, and there's something there for everyone. To me, all that aligns with my own vision."

All our life experiences build who we are, Lees said, whether those experiences were positive, negative or whatever. Looking back on her previous stint in Region XIV, Lees said she can directly attribute her later successes to the challenges this league offered her.

"I definitely learned to take risks and develop my craft," Lees said. "I can recall many times being in recruiting battles with different schools in Region XIV – winning and losing some of those battles. I can also remember being in the tournament, and that helped me grow. Preparation is key, right? I've gotten an opportunity at Arkansas State University -Midsouth and won a (conference tournament) championship there. Without those earlier experiences and those battles, I don't believe I'd have ever won a championship.

"I learned if I wanted to accomplish those things, I'd need to be in places that would allow me to do so. I'm so thankful for a great school and community."

Following her successes at Kilgore College, Lees moved on to ASU-Midsouth. There, despite mere days of recruiting time, Lees put together a team that won the NJCAA Region 2 Tournament title while finishing the year with a 19-11 record.

That same team boasted three Academic All-Americans and was named the NJCAA Academic Team of the Year, posting a 3.19 cumulative GPA. Her teams also have boasted a 100 percent graduation rate, a factor Lees said she emphasizes from the very first meeting with a player. From Day One, Lees said, she establishes the importance of "setting benchmarks and reaching our goals," all while emphasizing a focus on the complete future, and not just the immediate one.

"First and foremost, I want them to understand all of this is going to be transformational," Lees said. "In order to do that, I'm going to meet them where they are and value the person, the student and then the athlete – in that order.

"I want them to know we're going to go through highs and lows, and we're going to experience success and failure. But at the end of the day, the growth is what we're after, and I'm going to be there from the start all the way to the finish."

Lees, a Plainview, Texas native (her high school team won back-to-back state titles) said some of her biggest focus is preparing her student-athletes for what happens after the very last whistle. She's ready to "hold their feet to the fire" while also serving as "a positive light."

"One day, the ball is going to go flat," Lees said. "My goal is to make sure players are able to stand on their own two feet, and in order for that to happen, they need to walk away from college with a piece of paper. I'm going to motivate them some days, and some days they'll think I'm being tough on them. But at the end of the day, if they walk away with a degree, then we've done our part, and we've done our job.

"This is all full-circle for me," Lee added. "This is something Angelina College offers every student, and not just the athletes. We want academic success to be the ceiling all students are trying to reach. That's what I want to be a part of."  

The email address for Angelina College's Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.