By Tucker Paquette
@tpaquette17
Over the course of her 32-year career as the head coach of the Archbishop Mitty High School (Calif.) girls basketball program, Sue Phillips has put together quite the resume.
Archbishop Mitty’s program has won over 800 games, dozens of state championships and a national title under Phillips’ watchful, instructive eye. She has been recognized as the national coach of the year by several organizations and outlets, including Naismith and Gatorade (she has received the honor from Naismith twice, in 2018 and 2024). And Phillips, an Archbishop Mitty graduate in ‘86, has a notable list of former players that features more than 50 Division I athletes, such as former WNBA All-Star Danielle Robinson and three-time beach volleyball Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings.
However, as accomplished as Phillips is, her perspective on basketball and how to teach it most effectively has evolved with experience.
“I think the older I get, the more I realize less is more,” Phillips said. “Focusing on one or two points for the kids to put into play and be successful with.”
As Phillips’ career has progressed, so too has the environment surrounding athletes – particularly high-end ones. With the rapid development of social media and its tentacles spreading into the basketball world, athletes may get caught up in the hype, cameras and the ability to chase fame at a young age through their moves on the court.
While Phillips acknowledges that the landscape has changed considerably since she took over the Monarchs’ program, she still strongly believes in the importance of teaching smart, fundamentally-sound basketball to her players.
“I think you have to continue evolving with the times,” Phillips said. “[There are] different types of athletes, different skill sets, different sets of experiences than, say, the kids that I coached in the mid-’90s. Now there’s social media, which then creates a whole different dynamic for them and the type of pressure and things that they see out there. So [it’s about] getting them grounded into staying in the present, trying to get them to focus on the fundamentals instead of worrying about hitting clicks.”
“I hope they can impart some creativity within their play, but grounding them to recognize that the numbers don’t lie in it,” Phillips added. “We really got to focus on the substance of their play.”
In addition to coaching at Archbishop Mitty, Phillips also has coached with USA Basketball on several occasions, including as the head coach for the 2021 U16 gold-medal winning squad and the U17 National Team that traveled to Hungary to participate in the 2022 FIBA World Cup. All told, Phillips’ U16 and U17 teams have earned four gold medals.
Phillips cherished the ability to coach the sport she loves overseas, but staying true to her coaching ethos, she appreciated the ability to learn, too.
“[Getting] to travel the world playing basketball, high-level basketball, different nuanced rules with FIBA,” Phillips said. “The rules of FIBA basketball [are different] compared to the high school leagues in, say, California. It’s another thing that has provided some educational knowledge.”
Another key difference between Archbishop Mitty and Team USA is the amount of time Phillips gets to spend with her players, and how that impacts the type of coaching Phillips and her staff provide.
“At Archbishop Mitty, we focus on teaching life lessons through athletics,” Phillips said. “You’re with those kids consistently for four years, and so there’s an emphasis on growth and development in the course of those four years, helping them, assisting them in their development on and off the court.”
“With USA Basketball, it’s such a snapshot,” Phillips added. “Getting those kids for three weeks, maybe a month during the U-17 World Championships, it’s really fun to meet new people, whether it’s my assistant coaches or the kids and parents.”
The talent level naturally differs between the two programs, as well. The Monarchs do draw high-end talent, but no program could dream of routinely assembling rosters as talented as Team USA’s.
“Coaching USA Basketball, you’re essentially dealing with 12 All-Americans,” Phillips said. “While we’ve had our share of All-Americans at Archbishop Mitty, we’re not typically suiting up 12.”
Regardless of how many All-Americans she has on a given roster, Phillips has consistently led her teams to success, both in California and on the national stage. This career of wins and development recently earned Phillips perhaps the biggest honor of all: entry into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
Inducted in the class of 2024, Phillips was thrilled to hear that she would be a hall of famer. However, she also believes everyone who has helped her along the way deserves credit for her success.
“I was overwhelmed with emotion when I heard,” Phillips said. “And yet it’s a testament to all of my current coaching staff, former coaches, current players, former players. It’s a group award. While my name is next to it, I stand proudly on their shoulders.”
As Phillips recognizes those who have contributed to her fruitful career, she hopes to serve as a mentor for others. In her never-ending quest for knowledge, Phillips believes passing down some of her own can only be a good thing.
“I think it’s important to know that you can learn from anybody,” Phillips said. “I try to mentor younger coaches, try to tell them that it’s really important. Find nuggets of information, any which way that they can.”
(Photo by Tucker Paquette/The Student)