Sarah Gayler knew she wanted to be a basketball coach ever since she was young, but at the time she didn’t know she would be the first female to coach a men’s basketball team at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) level.
As a competitive rodeo rider, Gayler competed on a different turf, yet she transferred some of the lessons she learned to the basketball court. When she was 9, during a play day, she learned what happens when you do not tighten a horse’s saddle before setting off.
After riding her horse sideways because the saddle slowly fell down the side of the horse, Gayler learned just important preparation is.
“If you don’t tighten up on the little things in life, there’s going to be big consequences,” Gayler said.
So, she tries to get her team as tight as possible, even on the little things. A few members from the basketball team came to the Rotary Club lunch to hear Gayler speak, and when they were asked how the transition has been to the new coach’s leadership, all were adamant about her attention to detail.
From the uniforms that they play in, to the ways they communicate with each other, Gayler makes sure to not miss any detail and train the players to be the best they can be.
That’s what got her into coaching men’s basketball. When she was a player, Gayler heard someone say to her “to be the best, you got to play the best” — and to her own confusion, she then believed it was the men that she had to play with to get to that point.
Each morning before school, she would go to the local gym and play scrimmages with the men on the court.
Since then she has found earner several opportunities not just in the U.S., but internationally.
Some highlights include her time in India and China as an international director and coach; Head Assistant Coach for the ABA/PBL Shreveport-Bossier/Kentucky Mavericks for 4 seasons; and recently the Milwaukee Bucks, where she worked in basketball ops.
While she has built her resume as a coach, Gayler doesn’t describe her day-to-day as a dream but more a lifestyle she is glad to live.
She hopes to instill that same motivation in the players she coaches on and off the court, starting with community involvement.
“I hope to build a tradition of community excellence within the players,” Gayler said.
