The game is intensely close and the occasion is of great significance. Win, lift the Critelli Cup; lose, finish second best in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA).
As she paces the sidelines shouting instructions, head coach Dani Sinclair is doing everything she can to orchestrate a win for the Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team.
Any spectator who watched the head coach last season likely noticed one thing: When Sinclair speaks, her team listens.
“Can you just follow the plan? Get us back organized on defence. You’re being selfish,” Sinclair yelled from the sidelines as she substituted Dorcas Buisa.
Sinclair made these comments during the OUA quarterfinals against the Toronto Metropolitan Bold in February. Buisa’s third-quarter defensive actions were unimpressive to Sinclair, who tentatively hooked Buisa from the game.
But it’s nothing out of the ordinary for Sinclair. She demands the best from her team’s leaders.
However, her intense sideline behaviour has received attention. On the road to winning a national championship, the Ravens had to balance outside concerns with internal dynamics.
‘The crazy coach’: Mixed views on Sinclair’s coaching methods
With 2:53 left on the clock, minutes before the Ravens defeated the Queen’s Gaels to win the Critelli Cup, a clip of an animated Sinclair screaming at Buisa surfaced on social media.
While the comments were mostly positive, one user expressed concern over Sinclair’s interaction with Buisa.
“Are we sure this is the type of behaviour we’re promoting? re: interaction with #7,” Instagram user @hollyannand said.
But the comment was met with replies from Ravens players, who denied that Sinclair’s interaction with Buisa was inappropriate.
Buisa, who uses the Instagram handle @cozygirl, replied, “lighten up.” Teammates Kali Pocrnic and Jacqueline Urban praised Sinclair’s coaching in the same comment thread.
Part of Myers’ role involves student-athlete development. He works closely with all the varsity head coaches at Carleton, including Sinclair.
“I call her the crazy coach,” Myers said. “Crazy, but in such a fun way.”
Myers said his interactions with Sinclair have always been grounded in mutual respect. He said they can joke around in easy-going moments but they can also have serious discussions when needed.
“I wished everybody could experience the Dani I experience off the court … she’s such an amazing person,” Myers said. “On the court, she’s really into her game [and] really connected.”
Myers says he understands how people may see Sinclair as “crazy,” but added it isn’t totally fair.
“Dani is animated on the bench,” Myers said. “We don’t have any women coaches right now who are as animated as Dani. I think sometimes people misinterpret her animation as being crazy.”
Myers described the coach as passionate and her courtside animation as “getting the best out of the team.”
At the U Sports women’s championship tournament in Sydney N.S., in March, Sinclair celebrated the Ravens’ victory with parents and travelling fans, hugging them as the team lifted the Bronze Baby trophy.
Myers said he has received complaints and concerns about Sinclair, but also added it’s “a daily occurrence” for every coach.
“We get complaints about every coach from fans, it doesn’t matter which coach,” Myers said. “You will get so many complaints — I probably say ‘so many’ because it’s unquantifiable — about coaches, assistant coaches, players, et cetera.”
Myers said it’s a natural part of modern sports, especially since the games are now live streamed.
“People are always going to have something to say about strategy, about facial expression, about something regarding a coach,” Myers said. “It’s not unique to us, it’s not unique to the OUA, it’s just where [sports] are at now.”
The outside noise doesn’t get to Sinclair. Her only concern is the team.
She said players must be “pushed and challenged” to win games. However, she added that off the court, they also need support and sometimes “just need to talk.”
“I care about them as people first,” Sinclair said. “There’s a separation of the basketball player and the person. They understand that.”
“It’s not that I’m a different person; I’m not Jekyll and Hyde … nobody thinks I’m scary. Nobody’s intimidated by me. They know that [we] are doing everything possible to push them to be the best on the court, and we have their back and are in their corner.”
Relationships, culture and truth
When Sinclair first joined the Ravens in 2020, she said she thought her experience would be all about basketball. Instead, she’s discovered it’s all about relationships.
While the on-court relationship between Buisa and Sinclair isn’t one of turmoil and condescension, it’s difficult to determine why it differs vastly from others on the team.
Sinclair had difficulty describing it and said “no one really understands it.”
“The way that I coach, you can’t coach people that way if you don’t have very, very strong relationships with them,” she said after the OUA final.
For the Ravens’ assistant head coach Michelle Abella, the coach-player relationship is all about “trust and respect.”
“I’m not in that relationship, but from the outside looking in, there’s a lot of trust, [constant communication] and respect between those two,” Abella said.
Buisa said the same. The third-year guard had plenty of praise for Sinclair.
“She knows how to coach me,” Buisa said. “We have an understanding, a great connection. We know how to talk to each other — I know how to respond to her, and she knows how to respond to me.”
Buisa broke down her relationship using a mathematical equation. She said 30 per cent of the relationship is seen on the court, 50 per cent takes part in practice, while the remaining 20 per cent is centred around regular conversations.
“Some people see her [intensity] in the moment of a game, but they don’t see the other side of her,” Buisa said. “[The other side is] her embracing me and giving me praise when I need it, giving me advice and motivation when I need it.”
Sinclair’s coaching style works well for Buisa, who describes herself as a competitive player who likes to win and play hard. She said Sinclair’s passion reminds her of her own competitiveness.
But that doesn’t mean things are always smooth sailing. Sinclair said her team steers through rough waters with honest, face-to-face conversations.
“There’s no fakeness in how [the players] interact,” Sinclair said. “Nobody here is afraid of the truth … [We encourage players to] speak the truth, speak to the person you have an issue with, don’t talk about your issue with [someone else].”
Sinclair described that as the cornerstone of the team’s bond, and Buisa agreed.
“When you go through conflict, you deal with a range of emotions and you’re able to connect with people on a deeper [level] … and build a connection,” Buisa said.
Featured image by Jayden R. Dill.
