This Women's March Madness first-round game holds deeper meaning for both head coaches
- FSU's Brooke Wyckoff and George Mason's Vanessa Blair-Lewis will face each other in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
- The two coaches share a friendship and an understanding of the challenges of balancing motherhood and coaching.
- Wyckoff founded the organization “Moms in Coaching” to support women in the profession who are also mothers.
BATON ROUGE, La. — When Brooke Wyckoff’s No. 6 Florida State team faces off against Vanessa Blair-Lewis’ No. 11 George Mason team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, the two coaches will share more than just a desire to survive and advance. The contest will pit two friends against each other who share an understanding of the challenges of balancing motherhood and coaching.
"She’s a friend of mine," Wyckoff said of Blair-Lewis. "We've known each other for a while, and I have so much respect for her as a person, as a mom and as a coach."
In her fourth season at the helm, Blair-Lewis was named a finalist for the Mid-Major Coach of the Year award and led George Mason to its first March Madness appearance and A10 Conference Championship in school history, changing the trajectory for a program that won only three games the year before her arrival.
Watch Florida State vs. George Mason on Fubo
Despite the win-or-go-home stakes of the first-round game, Wyckoff expressed genuine admiration for Blair-Lewis.
"I love what she's done,” Wyckoff said. “She's built a really solid basketball team and program, and she's done that everywhere she's been."
While serving as an assistant coach at Florida State in 2015, Wyckoff created an organization that fused two important parts of her identity. She founded the organization “Moms in Coaching” alongside current North Florida head coach Erika Lambert.
“Moms in Coaching” meets every year at the Final Four and has grown significantly, with up to 80 women in attendance and 1,600 followers between X and Instagram.
“This group brings together women in the coaching profession who are also mothers, or who aspire to be mothers, providing a space to discuss the unique demands and rewards of balancing these two challenging roles,” Wyckoff said.
Wyckoff and Lambert also host the five-star rated “Moms in Coaching” podcast. Blair-Lewis is a regular guest on the podcast.
“We’re trying to show players that you can have it all," Blair-Lewis said. "You can be a great wife. You can be a great mom, and you can still be a great leader and a coach.”
“Moms in Coaching” offers a crucial support network, with members sharing experiences as mothers and coaches that create a foundation of respect and understanding.
"Even when we coach against each other, you don't see the kids there, necessarily,” Wyckoff said. “You don't know until you really sit down and talk. You realize, 'Wow, there are a lot of women out there doing this.'"
When she looks over at the opposing bench Saturday night, Wyckoff will see an opposing coach who strives each day to balance work and family.
"Coaching is a very demanding job, and being a mom is also very demanding," Wyckoff explained. "How those two marry, and how those things work together, it's an amazing thing to be a mom and a coach."
Kyle Tatelbaum is a student in the University of Georgia's Sports Media Certificate program.