SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Felisha Legette-Jack is basking in her new role at Syracuse as their new women's basketball coach. A place where she attended for four years and etched her name into the record books.
Now taking over a program that practices and plays in the very gym she had her number retired, the only student female to have that achievement to make it even sweeter.
Last month, Legette-Jack left UB after 10 great years of not only being a coach but mother figure to hundreds of young women.
But there's nothing like home and it's something she can't stop smiling from ear to ear about. I asked how it felt to be home and her happiness shined through the computer screen.
“It’s fantastic! I missed that I wasn’t really home,” said Legette-Jack. “I made a home at Buffalo, and love Buffalo. I love the people there. I love what we built for our program but it wasn’t like having dinner with a sister at Texas Roadhouse yesterday and calling family you know that's right, so it’s a good thing."
Legette-Jack was always open that if the Big Orange came knocking that she would take the opportunity to return home and her alma mater. But according to Coach Jack, she and Syracuse never had any contact prior to the NCAA tournament. Syracuse waited patiently until the Bulls tournament run ended then she got the call the next day.
Legette-jack told me that Buffalo will always be home but there's nothing like being in a place full of people who know you inside and out.
Home is where the heart is. But while she was excited to go home, there was still anguish in some of the players who now lost their head coach, a feat that’s not always easy to deal with.
The girls were all on spring break vacation so she had to do a Zoom call with the team to let her know she leaving for her alma mater.
"Some of them decided to enter to transfer portal while some decided to stay there," said Legette-Jack. "Some people called, some people didn't, some are angry and some haven't processed it yet. I didn't bring girls there to just win basketball games, they became my daughters, we went through a pandemic together. I promised their parents we would take care of them. We are a family but when mom takes off to take another job, it's hard to go through it. No matter what anyone says those are my kids. Anything they need from I'll be a phone call away."
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Now sophomores, Georgia Wooley and Saniaa Wilson, have followed Coach Jack to Syracuse. As far as Dyashia Fair, Coach Jack told me that she can't comment on the situation at hand but they will always be connected. She added she'll support Dyashia in any way.
New UB women's Head Coach Becky Burke told me just last week she wouldn't go down without a fight for Fair.
And it's not just the players that have their faith in Legette-Jack. Her former Syracuse teammate Sue Ludwig has signed to be a part of the Big Orange, again. Ludwig has coached at Westhill High School for the past 31 years and was on the verge of retirement. "She's my biggest recruit that I've nailed."
As far as a new start in Syracuse, Legette-Jack wants to make Syracuse a destination for women's basketball.
"We want to win the basketball court and the classroom," said Legette-Jack. She added that she and Ludwig are examples of what a degree from Syracuse can create.
"It's personal because this is a place we love and saw it do wonders. Now we're trying to do it again."