\u201cI think it\u2019s a rarity. I don\u2019t necessarily think it should be,\u201d said Dauphinais, who works full-time as a sales manager for a nonprofit organization that runs several New York zoos. \u201cI know that [the players] respect me and know that I have the skill to push them in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dauphinais\u2019 players said they don\u2019t give gender a thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cI make of it that if it\u2019s the best candidate, it\u2019s the best candidate,\u201d said Jared Reichnitz, a Maccabees captain last year who graduated. \u201cIf you can get a team to play at the highest level and improve their skills, what does it matter? It doesn\u2019t matter that she\u2019s a woman. She\u2019s a good coach.\u201d<\/p>\n
As to the Jewishness, Dauphinais said she accommodates the restrictions on traveling and playing on the Sabbath and holidays.<\/p>\n
Scanning the schedule after accepting the job this summer, she realized that the HVIAC playoffs in April were set for Passover. Dauphinais arranged for the conference to delay the tournament and plans to conduct most practices for the postseason before the holiday break.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m optimistic,\u201d she said of already planning for the playoffs, even before a team was picked. \u201cI always feel you have to go into the season with the best mind-set, the best outlook possible. That can, maybe, elevate you to a better position.\u201d<\/p>\n
The confidence appears to be well placed, as the Maccabees graduated only three players from the club that defeated St. Joseph\u2019s College of Brooklyn in three straight sets to win the conference tournament.<\/p>\n
It was at an early practice a season ago that Dauphinais made her presence felt by advising the team on defensive position and rotation. During games, she didn\u2019t hesitate to approach players who had been substituted out to offer corrective tips.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was helpful when you went back into the game,\u201d said Joseph Lipton, a returning senior. \u201cWhen I\u2019d go up to block, let\u2019s say, I would go too far over and leave too much of the court open for my opponent to hit. She\u2019d say, \u2018Don\u2019t leave so much of it open.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Dauphinais frequently led practices in the absence of Ross. Those sessions, often late at night in the basketball gymnasium on campus, along with in-game operations, made clear that Dauphinais would be an attractive candidate after Ross left last spring to take a job in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was always impressed with her demeanor and knowledge of the game, and the players responded to her,\u201d said Alexander Winnicker, the associate athletic director at Y.U., which plays on the Division III level, meaning no athletic scholarships are offered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow players respond to a coach is one of the largest indicators of the success of a coach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dauphinais\u2019 hands-on approach stood in stark contrast to the previous assistant coach, also a female, who was far less assertive, Reichnitz and Lipton said.<\/p>\n
When the assistant resigned, Ross hired Dauphinais, whom he knew when both attended Mount Saint Vincent, a Catholic institution in the Bronx, near Y.U. The two continued playing together on recreation league teams of urban professionals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted Jacqui because [we] had a lot of the same philosophies on how to set up an offense, how to play defense,\u201d Ross said of recruiting her to the Manhattan university. \u201cIf I\u2019m looking at one thing, she can look at something else and tell me what\u2019s wrong. We both agreed on a lot of the same things.\u201d<\/p>\n
A short vacation to Cape Cod behind her, Dauphinais is raring to go in the new academic year. There are high schoolers to recruit, training regimens to set up, meetings to arrange and players to try out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really excited to be returning to Y.U., now with a little more responsibility,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ll have a great season again and move forward. It\u2019ll be great taking the helm, and I\u2019m coming in with a really optimistic outlook for the season.\u201d<\/p>\n
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