What's Your Favorite...
Bouncing around with Missouri State University Lady Bears basketball coach Nyla Milleson
Nyla Milleson stays very busy coaching the Missouri State University women’s basketball team. When she’s not coaching, she’s recruiting. When she’s not recruiting, she and her husband, Brent, coach their son’s summer basketball team. When she’s not doing that, she’s getting caught up on The Young and the Restless. Yeah, that Young and the Restless. When your life is consumed with basketball, it’s probably good to have something that is the opposite of basketball. “I’ve watched it since I was in college,” says Milleson, “DVR is a great thing. I can catch up on that in my spare time.”
The third-year coach at Missouri State is full of surprises. It’s kind of her thing. Every basketball program she’s touched in 25 years of coaching has turned into a monumental winner. It happened in Kansas as well as locally at Glendale High School and Drury University. They’re still in the rebuilding process at Missouri State, but Milleson is happy with where they’re headed. “Rebuilding is tough, but we’re in a situation where we’ve got lots of good things to rebuild around,” explains Milleson. “There’s the history and tradition of the program and the new arena.”
For the coach that is full of surprises, what keeps Milleson going is pretty simple. “At the end of the day, the most rewarding thing is that you’ve had a small impact on their lives. I’ve done this long enough that a month doesn’t go by that I don’t hear from a former player.” That’s all well and good, but if you want another good surprise from Milleson, ask her about her goat-tying and calf-roping skills on the rodeo team in college.
What's Your Favorite...
Flowering plant?
“Gerber daisies. They come in all different colors. I have a real hard time keeping plants alive.”
Type of soup?
“French onion.”
Zone defense?
“We play a matchup two three, but we don’t play much zone.”
Basketball coach?
“I’ve always really liked Gail Goestenkors. She’s at Texas.”
Brady?
“All I can think of is ‘Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.’ You’ve gotta like Alice though, too.”
Use for a Swiss Army knife?
“I can’t say that I’ve ever used one. I’ve used my dad’s pocket knife.”
Thing about JQH Arena?
“Our fans. It’s a pretty neat feeling walking out there with 5,000 people. A material thing would have to be the scoreboard.”
Thing about Division I?
“I love the March Madness. Now we just need to get there.”
European country?
“I’ve never traveled abroad, but if I could go someplace, I’d like to go to Switzerland someday.”
Song to sing to yourself?
“Seasons in the Sun. I love ’70s music. I sing it if it’s on the radio. I don’t just bust out singing too often.”
Sunscreen SPF number?
“If it’s on my face, it needs to be SPF 50 because I went too many years with baby oil.”
Thing about the fall?
“The weather. I love fall weather. Also, it’s the start of basketball season.”
Women’s basketball player of all time?
“I really like Tamika Catchings from Tennessee. You gotta throw Jackie (Stiles) in the mix, too.”
Favorite thing to yell during practice?
“I use a whistle, but if I want them to stop and I don’t have it I’ll yell, ‘freeze it!”
Rodeo term?
“I can’t remember March, let alone 20 years ago. I’ll just say, ‘hook it up.’”
Type of goat?
“Nanny and Billy are the only two I can think of.”
