In any other year early-April would be a time for reflecting on the Elite 8 and looking forward to the Final 4, but this year is not like any other year. Instead, we will spend the week reflecting on champions of the past, from a famous coach who won the 1947 NCAA title as a player to a Hall of Famer who led her team to a perfect 34-0 season in 1986. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our 8-part series with Inge Nissen, who talked about winning back-to-back titles and being inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
You grew up in Denmark: how did you 1st get into basketball? I went to 1 of the few high schools in the country that had a club basketball team.
You won 4 straight national championships from 1972-1975 in 3 different European countries (Denmark/Norway/France): what was the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball overseas? At the time I started playing internationally Europe was way more advanced than the US, which has changed over time via opportunities from Title IX. It all started with Title IX: I went to the University Games in Moscow and we were awful after having to pay for our own trip! The American team was not good at that time either but I got to sit in the stands and watch some of the other European teams play: they were awesome. It expanded my horizon and that is when I started wanting to become a good player. It was so unlikely for a girl from Denmark: once we had a national team practice scheduled but we were kicked out of the gym…by a badminton team.
After that you became 1 of the first Europeans to come to America to play women’s college basketball: why did you choose Old Dominion? I was playing for 1 of the top European teams in France and asked if it was possible to start studying but there was no flexibility: we had 2-hour practices in the morning. ODU was the only place that aggressively recruited me. I wrote letters to the top colleges listed in Sports Illustrated and was close to going to Sue Gunter’s school (Stephen F. Austin) but ODU assistant coach Cindy Russo told me to call her collect: I could practice my English for nothing! It sounded really exciting to me.
You played for Hall of Fame coach Marianne Stanley: what made her such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from her? She knew how to handle a bunch of strong-willed kids and get the most out of us. We had some strong talent/personalities and had a lot of fun.
You won the Women’s NIT in 1978 and back-to-back AIAW titles in 1979/1980 with teammates such as Anne Donovan/Nancy Lieberman: where do those Monarch teams rank among the best in the history of women’s basketball? That is not something that I can rank but at the time it was pretty awesome. You cannot easily compare teams from different eras but we had so much confidence that we would be successful. The whole team was involved: the starters played their butts off so that the non-starters could get some playing time. I think that caring about your teammates is key: talent is not enough.
In 1980 you were named an All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? As a junior I wanted to become an All-American and I worked very hard to get it. We got to the regionals and I was named tourney MVP, but when they named the All-American candidates I was not on the list and I was really ticked off. By the time I was a senior I did not need that validation stamp.
You graduated with school records of 2647 PTS/1459 REB: how were you able to balance your scoring with your rebounding? My main objective was winning so you cannot just score or just rebound: you needed a total game. I never had any video of my games but Anne sent me a copy once. I was watching it at FIU when some of my kids came into my office. They said, “Oh, no rebounding!”…and I told them to get out. If I knew then what I know now I would have been a different kind of player. Rebounding is a big key to victory for coaches: it is rare to see a team win when they get out-rebounded. You cannot control the percentage of shots that go in but if you move around and actively engage in trying to rebound you can be very successful.
You spent more than 25 years as an assistant coach at Florida International: how did you 1st get into coaching, and how did you like it? I swore that I would never coach because it was not an interest of mine, but Cindy would come to Portsmouth, VA to visit her family and also spend time with me because my husband’s family is from there. It was an interesting experience in the beginning but it was a lot of fun. We became quite competitive not by getting the biggest fish in America: we were able to bring in some of the top talent from Europe. You cannot teach kids to do something that they cannot see being done. It is 1 thing to say that you need to hit 10 shots from a spot on the floor: it is another to have your players watch a teammate actually do it! A lot of coaches/scouting services are now involved in European recruiting.
In 2012 you were inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It was kind of a validation and I was grateful that they selected me. Many of my teammates who I invited to come actually showed up, which was terrific because it was a team effort and very dear to my heart.
When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I do not know. I had so much fun playing but I hope that they remember my competitiveness.