Western Carolina women's basketball coach Kellie Jolly Harper recently took her team to her hometown of Sparta, Tennessee and shared a bit of her childhood with her players. This is the second Coaches' Corner post for the former Tennessee standout, who wrote last year about the Volunteers' 2007 national championship run.

I talk to my players about the town I grew up in quite often. I get teased about the small-town life I lived for 22 years. So, it was with great pride when I had the opportunity to take my team home to Sparta, Tennessee.

Our schedule this year consisted of a game at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Coincidently, Sparta was just one hour and some change from our destination. By making a slight detour, we were able to roll our charter bus down the streets of my hometown the day before our game. Posing as a veteran tour guide, I used the microphone to highlight some of the ‘finer’ points of good ole’ Sparta. For instance, Hardee’s...the turnaround spot for cruisers, or Turner’s Sporting Goods…where we bought our basketball shoes before each season.

I have A LOT of family back in my hometown and like true Southerners, the women can all cook a spread that will make your mouth water. Or as my husband likes to say, “They can flat out cook.” So, I jumped at the opportunity to share my family’s cooking skills with my team’s eating skills, which are almost as equal. We had fried chicken, macaroni and cheese (which is a MUST with our team), potato salad, casseroles, green beans, creamed corn, rolls, sweet tea, red Kool-Aid, and a variety of desserts. The meal alone was well worth the detour.

A few hours at my parents’ house…and a few laughs at my old pictures…allowed the food to digest before we took the court for practice at my alma mater – White County High School. After a good practice, it was off to Murfreesboro.

Fortunately for the Lady Catamounts, the remainder of the weekend was also a success. Although not a pretty game, we found a way to get a win at one of the toughest places we will play all season. All the while, about 30 members of my family cheered in the stands behind the bench.

A lot of coaches talk about family. It was important to me that I was able to share my family from home with my new family…our players. And because I am so proud of the type of young women they are, I wanted to make sure that the folks in Sparta had the pleasure of meeting them as well.