2005 Conference USA Coach-of-the-Year
Through the years, Kee's teams have been recognized for their outstanding academic achievements, community involvement and success on the playing field. Off the field, Kee takes pride in the fact that her teams excel academically while making significant contributions to the community. Nationally, Kee's teams continually rank near the top in GPA, having compiled the nation's 44th-highest average in 2008. Her players also spend endless hours participating in community service events. ECU softball players embody the ideal student-athlete and the values instilled in them are passed from one team to the next. "I feel that it is important for our student-athletes to give back to the community," Kee stated. "Hopefully upon graduation, we are sending well-rounded young ladies into their respective professions." Kee's teams have won 40 or more games nine of the past 12 seasons and have tallied at least 50 in four of her years as head coach. In 2000, Kee directed the squad to 60 victories, just the 13th time in NCAA history that a team had reached the mark. In 2007, CSTV listed East Carolina as the eighth-winningest program in the NCAA. Since ECU began fastpitch softball in 1984, the Pirates have recorded 931 victories, with Kee being a part of 852 of those wins, including passing the 500 wins plateau as a coach in 2008. A testament to her coaching is the fact that several of her players have received conference, regional and national recognition. One look in the ECU single-season record books will show Kee's players sitting atop nearly every statistical category. Perhaps Kee's greatest attribute as a coach is her development of players. She is a teacher first, and her players benefit by learning the fundamentals and possessing a keen understanding of the game. The five years Kee spent as an elementary school educator have helped her grow as a coach by learning to organize and plan efficient and effective practices. "I know how important it is for athletes to feel comfortable and confident with their abilities and decisions," said Kee. "Therefore, my primary focus in practice is to put them in those situations they will face in competition." Paramount to Kee's success is the dedication she demands from each player. Her philosophy of "get better each day" breeds intense intra-squad competition, which results in an elevated level of play from all members of the team. "The players are pushed mentally and physically day-in and day-out," Kee stated. "We have tough practices that prepare us for intense competition and challenges we will face both on and off the field." Her style of coaching resembles that of a disciplinarian but also a motivator. Kee's attention to detail is impeccable and her competitive drive unmatched. All of these characteristics result in focused and driven players when they step on the field. Kee's teams have a reputation of scrappiness, and quit is not part of their vocabulary. "All I ask from the kids is that they lay it on the line and give me everything they have until the last out, win or lose," said Kee. On the field, she preaches consistency in the box through discipline. "We like to manufacture runs and be aggressive on the base paths. Our thought with a runner on second base is score. We'll do whatever it takes to push that run across." In 1997, Kee's first as a head coach, ECU made the transition from playing as an independent to competing in the Big South Conference. That season began on a high note and set the precedent for the success her teams would have in the years that followed. The '97 team won a then-school record 49 games and Kee was rewarded as the Big South Coach-of-the-Year. In 1999, East Carolina, after winning a school-record 50 games, made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, participating in the Tucson regional that included nationally-ranked Maryland and Arizona. At the end of the season, Isonette Polonius was named a third-team Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-American, adding to her second-team honors from 1998. Kee would also have the privilege of coaching another two-time All-America selection in Keisha Shepperson, who won the honor in 2000 and 2001. The Pirates eventually outgrew the Big South and became a member of the Southern Athletic Softball Alliance (SASA) for the 2000 and 2001 seasons. SASA was comprised of five Atlantic Coast Conference teams and ECU. Despite a higher level of competition, Kee excelled. In just four seasons as a head coach, she was the third fastest in Division I to reach the 200-win plateau. In 2001, the Pirates again eclipsed the 50-win mark with 51. Because SASA did not have a postseason tournament, ECU took part in the East Coast Athletic Conference Tournament and won both titles. A move to Conference USA in 2002 would give Kee little trouble, despite entering a conference with perennial NCAA qualifiers in DePaul, Southern Miss and South Florida. The Pirates' debut season in the highly-touted C-USA was nothing short of extraordinary, as the team made it to postseason play by finishing among the top six teams in the standings. In 2008, the Pirates made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a member of C-USA as they received an at-large bid. The team defeated Mississippi Valley State while at the NCAA Regional in Baton Rouge, La., giving the program its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory. Kee was a standout student-athlete for ECU in the late 80's. As a four-year starter, two-time captain, outstanding defensive player and recipient of the Texas Gulf Outstanding Female Scholar-Athlete Award, Kee's expectations of her players are the same as they were for herself. A Richmond, Va. native, Kee has been in Greenville since 1986. During her playing career with the Pirates, she was a mainstay at catcher and third base. She graduated cum laude in May of 1990 with a bachelor of science degree in physical education and in 1995 earned her master's degree from ECU in exercise and sport science with a concentration in athletic administration. She also dedicated five years to teaching physical education at St. Peter's Catholic School in Greenville. Kee finally hung up her own cleats in the summer of 1996 after garnering three USSSA All-World accolades in slow-pitch. In January of 2009, Kee was also inducted into the Saint Gertrude High School athletic Hall of Fame. She is the daughter of Jean Alford and had three sisters, two of whom played softball at East Carolina. |
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