This week On Deck we talk with the newest head coach in the SEC, Larissa Anderson. Anderson takes over a program at the University of Missouri very much in transition. Anderson is the third coach to helm the Tigers in the last year. Anderson comes to Columbia after spending the last 17 seasons on the coaching staff at Hofstra University. The last four seasons she served as the Pride’s head coach compiling a 130-73-1, two NCAA Tournament appearances, and two CAA Championships. Anderson also served on staffs at LIU Post and Gannon University where she was an All-American outfielder.
Lee Dobbins: Coach Anderson you spent 17 years with the program at Hofstra as either an assistant coach, associate head coach, or the last four seasons as the head coach. What ultimately made you want to leave that comfort zone and move to a conference that many consider the most visible and high pressure in the country?
Larissa Anderson: I loved Hofstra and always will. Throughout my 17 years at Hofstra I had many opportunities to leave and I always chose to stay because of what we were able to accomplish there, being a private mid-major school in the northeast and competing in the Top 25, I enjoyed that challenge. I also wanted Hofstra to be my first head coaching opportunity. I owed it to Bill Edwards, the alumni and our players. Following the success of our 2018 season at Hofstra I knew there were going to be different career opportunities for me and it was going to come down to me making a decision if I was going to stay at Hofstra for the rest of my life, or was this the time for me to move on in my career. Not many people get an opportunity to coach in the SEC, and I knew that if I turned down this opportunity now, it would never come my way again. I also knew that Mizzou was the perfect fit for me. They needed stability, they wanted to build a culture, and I can provide that.
Dobbins: You took over a program very much in transition at Missouri having worked through last season with an interim head coach and staff while coming off some trying times that lead to that transition. Things seemed to be further complicated with the NCAA coming down with a postseason ban and other restrictions for the program moving forward. What have you and your staff done to work through that and spin that to recruits and current team members for that matter that you are re-positioning the program to be a consistent Top 25 competitor again?
Anderson: We are being completely transparent. My staff and I were not a part of this program in 2016 when the violations occurred, and over half my team was not here as well. It’s very unfortunate for our current team has to suffer the repercussions of the decision of one softball student-athlete and one part-time tutor who are both no longer at Mizzou. I am making sure I am as educated as possible about the NCAA appeal process and communicating with my current team and recruits on the possibilities of the sanctions. We know we have no control over what the NCAA decides. All we can control is making sure we play every game as though it is an NCAA regional and at the end of the season if the NCAA decides we are banned from post season, and we are one of the top 64 teams who are deserving to go, then you know the NCAA tournament does not include the best 64 teams in the country.
Dobbins: Over the last few years recruiting has been a major topic of conversation particularly when it comes to the average (young) age that Prospective Student Athletes are being recruited and making verbal commitments to programs. Legislation has now been initiated restricting contact/offers to PSAs until the start of their junior years in high school. Talk a bit about that change in the recruiting dynamic since that legislation has been adopted. Has it slowed the process and made balancing recruiting better? Has the legislation been effective in curving earlier recruiting in any way?
Anderson: It’s going to take a few years for everything to settle down, because there are still 2021, 22, 23’s out there who were verbally committed to universities. Before the legislation passed, a lot of schools were rushing to commit as many young recruits as possible, just to get their name on them. But what is happening now in the recruiting process, verbal commitments are not respected. Schools are continuing to recruit PSA’s who are verbally committed and will continue to do so until they sign the National Letter of Intent. So I guess the new legislation and how coaches are handling it is not making PSA’s make decisions in their junior and senior year, which was the intention. The negative effect of how coaches are not respecting verbal commitments is you can’t assure your current verbals will stay committed.
Dobbins: I recently heard a phrase directly referenced to collegiate softball; “The era of the free agent has begun.” This seemingly is referencing the latest NCAA Transfer Legislation that eliminates the permission-to-contact process. The transfer rates in the last five years had seemingly already been at an all-time high. Recently however, it seems the flood gates have opened directly connected with this legislation. What are your thoughts on this legislation and its effect on the collegiate game?
Anderson: I have ALWAYS felt that any athlete should have to sit out a year when they transfer, regardless of the situation. I feel that way more now with the new transfer legislation. I completely disagree that an athlete should be allowed to play at one institution in the fall and transfer mid-year and play at another institution in the spring. If they are required to sit out a year, it will do a number of things. 1) kids then will make a more educated decision rather than saying “well, I can just transfer if I don’t like it” 2) kids will weigh the options of transferring, if they are really unhappy, then it’s worth it sitting out a year 3) it would prevent coaches from poaching student-athletes from other schools for an immediate replacement. It’s impacting programs, careers and if softball was like men’s’ football, baseball or basketball, you could potentially talk about a player’s draft status based on the success of a team. But ironically, those sports you have to sit out a year. How about that! If players were unable to transfer and play immediately, I wonder how many would have slowed down their own recruiting process and made a more thorough decision in the first place?
Dobbins: Softball (Collegiate Game particularly) has boomed in popularity in the last 10 years and this seems to be based on its visibility on different media outlets (TV, online, Social Media, etc.). How that dynamic of visibility has changed the way the game is played and how you run your program? What is the next progression of promotion of the game/advancement would you like to see as a Head Coach?
Anderson: In my perspective in what I’m teaching my players, everyone is watching you, so we will ALWAYS play the game the right way. We will respect the game, we will watch our language, we will conduct ourselves as professionals. But the visibility has also changed the game preparation. Your ability to watch your future opponents from many different angles, break down the game film. But what I think is most valuable from the visibility of a program is you can give fans, alumni, boosters an inside look into your program every day. The fan engagement is huge, which helps promote your program and get more people involved. People can feel as if they are a part of your program which gives them a sense of ownership and loyalty. It also allows recruits to get an inside look into the day and the life of a collegiate softball player.