The volleyball team has three new youthful additions. Coach Charita Stubbs gave birth to her first son, Melvin Jr. in the spring, and coach Keisha Demps gave birth to her second child, Thomas IV. And along with the arrivals of the newborns, the team has welcomed a new freshmen class, which includes six new players.
“It’s like our team is kind of our baby,” Demps said. “So its not hard to balance time between life and coaching since it’s new on both sides, you don’t really think about it.”
Despite having two coaches pregnant during the end of last regular season and into the spring season, sophomore Alex Smith said it didn’t affect the team too much.
“There was definitely a lot of pregnancy jokes cracked,” Smith said. “Having both my coaches pregnant at the same time, you would think mood swings but there really wasn’t much of that.”
Both Stubbs and Demps are planners, so this was no accident. The pregnancies were carefully planned out to limit any distractions, according to Demps.
“Because [Stubbs and I] initially sat down and mapped it all out before we got pregnant, it was pretty smooth,” Demps said.
As a first time mother, and head coach of the team, Stubbs splits her time evenly she says.
“When I’m at work, my focus is the team. When I’m at home, my focus is at home,” Stubbs said. “It’s no different when I was pregnant, that will never change. I [always] devote my time equally.”
Stubbs and her husband Melvin planned out their schedules so Stubbs still gets to see her son as much as possible. Yet her demands as a coach have not faded.
“I like to think that I haven’t changed, but most people would think I’m more understanding,” Stubbs said. “Yet as a coach, my demands will never change.”
The women have not been ill affected by the pregnancies on the team, according to Smith. She said that Stubbs is still the same old coach.
“She hasn’t changed one bit,” Smith said. “She is extremely professional and having a baby hasn’t affected her coaching ability at all.”
Demps was still coaching on the court, playing with the women while pregnant.
“When Keisha was on the court we had to be careful and watch out for the baby,” Smith said.
Demps added that the team can take a joke, since they are one big family.
“We [joke around] about everything on the team. We like to keep it light,” Demps said.
Stubbs and Demps are looking forward to growth this season. With a few preseason games under its belt, the team isn’t focused on wins and losses.
“We are just looking for continued progress,” Demps said. “Really, the sky’s the limit in what the team can do.”
The Wolfpack will showcase its progress and its new additions for the first time at home Sept 12. Stubbs guarantees Melvin and Melvin Jr. at the game cheering in the stands.
