When it was announced that Miami University women’s basketball head coach DeUnna Hendrix had resigned last spring amid an intimate relationship with an athlete, worries about the program began to surface. Many players on the team decided to transfer, and it seemed that the team would face a rough few years.
Later that month, however, it was announced that Glenn Box from Indiana University would take the head coach position and worries about the program were in part replaced by hope.
Box began his collegiate coaching career at Rend Lake College, where he first served as the assistant coach for the men’s team before becoming the head coach of the women’s team in 2005. In his eight years at Rend Lake, Box compiled an overall record of 64-31.
“I’m a player’s coach,” Box said. “I pride myself on the ability to develop talent, and I think that that holds true to where I am today.”
Throughout the 2010s, Box bounced from school to school. He first served as the assistant coach at Western Michigan University in 2008. He would go on to Saint Louis University (SLU) for two years, then Akron University before returning to SLU. Finally, in 2016, Box took an assistant coach position at Indiana University (IU) under revered head coach Teri Moren.
During his time at IU, Box helped the Hoosiers reach the NCAA tournament five times. In 2023, they won the Big Ten championship for the first time in 40 years. For Box, the experience at IU allowed him to grow as a coach and become involved in a competitive program.
“Coaching at Indiana gave me an opportunity to compete at the highest level,” Box said. “Coach Moren did a great job as far as mentoring me and putting me in positions to learn. I was able to grow my position in many different areas, both on the court and off.”
When the spot for head coach at Miami opened in the spring, Box seized the opportunity. He realized that these chances are rare, and that this one would allow him to turn a program around after back-to-back disappointing years.
“I was excited that Miami was willing to take a gamble on me,” Box said.
The team has had losing seasons each year since 2018, and with the resignation of Hendrix, many players even considered transferring out of fear that the program would continue to plummet. Katey Richason, one returning player, decided not to transfer out of love for Miami and hope for the program’s future.
“I always tell people that I fell in love with the university first,” Richason said. “When Coach Hendrix resigned, I told myself I was here to get an education. I was on the fence about transferring, but once I met Coach Box, it was solidified that I would stay here.”
When Box met the players, he shared plans to help them accomplish their goals as a team. For Richason, Box’s confidence was a welcome change to the program.
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“He told us what was expected of us and what he expected us to do this year,” Richason said. “He told us his plans for getting us to our objectives. It wasn’t awkward at all. He was very confident, and we love that.”
Besides Richason, only four players chose to return: Clare Chambers, Jessie Dai, Riley Neal and Jordan Tuff. In addition to their first-year recruits, the RedHawks recruited five players from the transfer portal: Hennessey Luu-Brown, Lakresha Edwards, Cori Lard and twins Jadyn and Jada Scott.
Jada Scott, who played four years at the University of Cincinnati, was considering ending her career before entering the transfer portal. However, she realized that she had more work to do before she could stop playing.
“I knew there was more in me that I can give,” Scott said. “I wanted to prove to myself that I can be the best version of myself. I was about to make a decision to commit somewhere else when I got the call from my high school coach telling me about Miami. I flew to Ohio on Monday and committed on Tuesday.”
With the diverse assortment of players, both old and new, the team needed to establish a foundation before the season kicked off.
Over the summer, Box helped the players assimilate into the team and get to know one another. During practice, they would get to know each other’s play styles. Box would practice with each player individually to get to know her game closer. Outside of practice, the team would participate in group activities, including building a house for Habitats for Humanities and attending an Indiana Fever WNBA game.
In addition to establishing a foundation, Box wanted the team to forget the past and push ahead into the future. The controversy surrounding Hendrix’s departure, which was linked to intimate texts shared with a player on her team, left a negative outlook for the team. Box wanted everyone to focus on their current program rather than the controversy last year.
“It’s not even a factor here,” Box said. “That was before me, and we’ve moved on from that moment. More than anything, we’re trying to establish a foundation for who we are. We are trying to establish our own identity and what we are going to live by here.”
This sentiment is shared with the players: everyone wants to move on to bigger and better things. And with Box at the helm, the team believes the program can turn itself around in the upcoming season. Box describes himself as a demanding but loving coach, which Scott agrees with.
“I describe Coach Box to people as a calm but intense person,” Scott said. “He’s very patient, and he actually teaches the game. Some coaches try to rush through things, but Coach Box takes time to explain to us why something happened, why we would do this, etc.”
With the foundation set and the culture established, the RedHawks intend to come out swinging on Nov. 6 at the University of Vermont. Above all else, the team is looking to compete and show that the past doesn’t affect them anymore.
