Last Tuesday Charleston beat UNC-Wilmington 63-58 in the CAA tourney title game to clinch an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Cougars won 31 games this year and claimed the school’s 1st NCAA tourney bid since 2018. In addition to shining a light on the players who got the job done on the court, it is also important to recognize the spirited students who have worked just as hard on the sidelines, such as band members/cheerleaders/dancers. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Charleston Cougarettes dance team assistant coach Remy Hayes about a season for the ages.
You grew up in Madison, NJ: how did you end up at Charleston? Growing up I spent a lot of time in North Carolina and knew from a pretty young age that I wanted to go to college somewhere in the south. I looked at a bunch of options, but as soon as I stepped foot on campus I knew that College of Charleston was the one.
You were a captain of the Cougarettes Dance Team when you were in college: what is the key to being a good leader? I think a good leader has to be able to build meaningful relationships with those around them. I think making genuine connections and maintaining positive relationships is something that helps leaders continue to grow. I also think that leaders need to be adaptable. Each person you lead may need something different from you and finding the best way to motivate each individual is something I am constantly working on.
You graduated in 2014 with a degree in exercise science and later got your Masters’ degree from Northeastern in Sports Leadership: why did you choose those subjects? I wish I had a better answer for undergrad other than I enjoyed the topics and had some great professors. I really loved my biomechanics class and how physics applied to how our bodies move. After I started working in athletics I got really interested in leadership programs and Northeastern had a great Masters’ program that I could do online while continuing to work at CofC.
You spent several years working for the athletic department doing student-athlete academic services/compliance: why did you decide to focus on coaching the dance team full-time last year? The opportunity to coach the dance team presented itself at a time when I was reevaluating my career. In every professional role I have ever had personal interaction and hands-on experience with students has been my favorite part. Directly helping young adults grow/learn/succeed is something that I have always been passionate about and something I was missing in my role at the time. It was not an easy decision, and I really miss working in CofC’s athletic administration, but I am still around and some of my best friends still work in the department. I will say that coaching and being involved with dance, something that has defined me for my entire life, has been the best decision I could have made.
What has been your favorite moment so far this season: upsetting Virginia Tech back in November, your 20-game winning streak in the middle of the season, beating UNC-Wilmington last Tuesday, other? Well, winning the CAA championship has definitely been a highlight this season. For me, it was getting to see the hard work behind the scenes from the administration to the support staff (and of course our coaches/student-athletes) pan out into such a successful season. Fans do not typically get to see all of the hard work that goes into a successful season but I have been lucky to have a front-row seat to the dedication/details that the student-athletes/coaching staff/entire department put into each day. For it all to culminate in such a historic season is pretty incredible.
Your basketball team had a few mediocre years before exploding this year with a record of 31-3: what is the atmosphere like on campus now that the NCAA tourney is finally here? Charleston as a city has so much to offer that a lot of people miss out on supporting the college’s athletic teams. However, to gain the attention/interest of the entire city and have people all over Charleston trying to get tickets to games is something special. I have been around this program for almost 13 years and never seen the arena and fans as excited as they were this season. It makes it so much more fun for the spirit programs as well: dancing/cheering in front of excited fans is something my team always appreciates.
How does your school decide who gets to go to the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? We used seniority to decide on who is traveling: we have 3 seniors and 3 juniors so the numbers worked out easily for us. The exposure and ability to continue to represent CofC is incredible. Our team competes at UDA Nationals in January so once basketball season ends so does our season. For our seniors to get this experience in their last months of college is beyond special and something I am thankful they will have memories of.
Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for next week? We like to keep things fun and fresh so there will be some new things during the timeouts, and we always love to get Clyde the Cougar involved, so keep an eye out for him as well!
Any predictions for the Cougars’ game on Thursday afternoon vs. San Diego State? The only answer is a Cougar win!
Will your husband Sean get to join you at the NCAA tourney next week or will he have to stay home to watch your dog Louie?! Sean is also a CofC alum and a huge basketball fan so there is NO chance he would miss the tournament. As soon as Orlando was announced as our site he booked a hotel!