The start of a new era at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (FDLTCC) will begin next week. The Thunder will start play in the Minnesota Community Athletic Conference in women's basketball for the first time, with former Grand Rapids star Jen McKay at the helm.
"It is an honor for me personally, and it carries an extraordinary weight in terms of wanting to get it right the first time," commented McKay. "However, I am not going into the season believing there will be an asterisk next to our record for years to come just because it is our first year. Whether we win all our games or lose all our games, my expectations for performance is the same as it would be if I was a first-year coach or at an established program."
The past two years have found McKay working as the assistant coach at The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth. Previously, McKay coached Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball in the Twin Cities for the Minnesota Stars and the Minnesota Metro Stars while earning her master's in athletic administration from the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
McKay graduated from Grand Rapids High School in 1997 and from the University of Minnesota where she played basketball from 1999-2002.
She started coaching when she was 15 and as she put it, she hasn't looked back since.
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The Thunder began practice on Oct. 1 and have been practicing five days a week.
"We have a very young team, and there has been a lot for me to teach, but that is the fun part," stated McKay. "The gals are excited to be on the team. They are here because they wanted to be on the first team and they have taken on the challenges that come with that head on."
"We have a very, very touchy schedule to start," noted McKay. "We open up playing against Anoka-Ramsey on the road and they have been a marquee program for decades. We also play Minneapolis twice and Anoka again. In between those games we have University of Wisconsin Superior, a Division III program."
The Thunder will also have to face the four-time Northern Division Conference champion Itasca in December.
"It may start out rough for us," remarked McKay. "I believe if we can stay healthy through the first half of the season, we will be well prepared to compete and win against our Northern Division opponents."
The Thunder will open play in a new, state-of-the art gymnasium that has just recently been built on campus.
"The Lester Jack Briggs Cultural Center is a beautiful and wonderful facility," said McKay. "Before a scrimmage the other day the opposing coach came up to me and mentioned how bright the gym is and how impressed he was. I felt the same way when I first saw it. I hope people from the community find an opportunity to come out and see it."
The Thunder will be led by a couple of local players, Ashley Langila from Esko and Alicia Legarde of Wrenshall.
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FDLTCC added football and softball last year as well. Under coach Tony Deleon, the Thunder football team went winless in their inaugural season, but came back this year to win a couple of games and had a chance to win a few more.
The softball team had a strong first season in which they missed out on a chance for the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) state tournament on the final day of play.
