The test came out positive: Loyola’s “pilot” scholarship program helped bag the university its first conference championships and enhanced its prestige in three short years.
In the spring of 2004, Loyola began a “pilot program” which offered athletic scholarships for the first time since 1972. Three players on each basketball team were the inaugural.
This season, the program had eight men and nine women on scholarship.
When Michael Giorlando signed on to be Loyola’s athletics director and head men’s basketball coach the following July, he inherited the new program.
Set to begin the 2004-05 season, the administration approved a reintroduction of scholarship programs during the next three years.
The department formed an Athletic Scholarship Committee that developed and submitted a proposal to the Rev. William J. Byron, S.J., then the interim president.
“I was involved in several meetings. A lot of this was new to me. I asked a lot of questions, but the man who preceded me (former athletic director Jerry Hernandez) had been a major player (in the scholarship committee),” Giorlando said.
Coach Dobee Plaisance remembers the sensitivity around early scholarship proposals.
“Because the school had been without scholarships for so long, people held on to the opinion that the program was fine without them,” Plaisance said.
Although the department committee consistently fought to bring attention to their cause, they still had to wait for the right place and time.
“It had been on the table for a number of years,” Plaisance said. “The key was getting the interim president and key faculty members who believed in the program to enable it to start.”
Offering scholarships gives Loyola a different angle when scouting. Students ultimately chose Loyola for the well-reputed Jesuit education they can’t get from many other universities, the coaches said.
“Actually, in some ways it made it difficult to recruit because I felt that, given the scholarships, I was competing for the same players as the bigger schools.” Plaisance said.
“I had to get over the stigma of a smaller program and convince them that this is the best place to go.”
For next year, she is waiting for a verbal commitment from two key recruits who are still deciding on several other offers.
Scouting next year’s Trenese Smith, the current GCAC Freshman and Player of the Year, puts pressure on the coach, but she doesn’t give it too much weight. In 2003, mass communication senior Kiely Schork, criminal justice graduate student Dani Holland, and English senior Katie Hernandez (former director Hernandez’s daughter) all played for Loyola and continue to lead the team as seniors. They weren’t able to receive scholarships when they were created the following year.
“Scholarships have enhanced the team. I don’t think I’d have those kids without the scholarships,” Plaisance said. “But the 2003-04 team was magic. They were 21-11 and went to the conference finals. That success can’t be diminished.”
Debbie Stieffel, dean of admissions, handles the scholarships. Potential students are presented to her, and she approves who receives scholarships, depending on their background and academics.
Before Katrina, the women’s team had one of the highest GPAs in the NAIA. Loyola’s reputation for strong academics is still the main draw when recruiting scholarship athletes, the coaches said.
“Three words: academics, academics, academics. Then, we look for the kids with the right character, and third, we look at athletics,” Giorlando said. “They’ve got to understand that character is so important.”
Although the strength of character can’t be measured on a point scale, Plaisance also believes in its importance to the teams.
“Without character, they won’t have chemistry. Without chemistry, you can’t win championships,” she said.
The pilot program instated in 2004 began a new chapter in development for Loyola athletics. In those three years, Plaisance’s women have made it to the NAIA nationals twice, most recently by winning the GCAC conference tournament Monday night.
“We’d like to have 10 and 10, and then we’d like to extend it to women’s volleyball and baseball, but that is decided by this administration,” Giorlando said.
Katrina deterred any immediate decisions for an increase in the program, but the department will continue to push toward new growth.
“So much has been talked about, but I don’t know the thoughts for the future,” Plaisance said. “I feel confident that the administration believes in the program and continues to support it.”
Nicole Mundy can be reached at [email protected].
