Revamped Women’s Basketball Locker Room Emphasises Hawk Pride

When the St. Joe’s women’s basketball team started their 2020-21 season, they did so in the comfort of a newly renovated state-of-the-art locker room.

Earlier this year, women’s basketball Head Coach Cindy Griffin, along with her assistants and Sue Lavin ’02, director of player development, sat down to discuss every detail of the new locker room and lounge. They wanted it to reflect the success of the program and to inspire the women who walk though its doors — current student-athletes, prospective players and alumnae.

The slogans on the wall, the photos that make up displays and the features of the locker room and lounge all come directly from the vision of the coaches and the players. The finished product represents the pride and passion of the St. Joe’s women’s basketball program. It also inspires the next generation of greatness, to move the program to a new level.

Thanks to the generous donations of benefactors, the vision of St. Joe’s women’s basketball comes to life in a tangible way. “I think it’s a great visual for recruits to really know that we compete at the highest level, we give our student-athletes the resources to complete at the highest level and to be able to be successful in that venue,” Griffin says. “It’s always been there for basketball and we really think that this can help us in our quest to get back up to national prominence.”

A nod to the pros.

For many who participate in a college basketball program, the holy grail is making it to the pros. And a display on the wall of the new locker room hallway now serves as a clear reminder that there is a path for St. Joe’s student-athletes to the WNBA.

“Something else that we’ve been very proud of as a mid-major program was the number of players we’d had transition to the WNBA,” Lavin says. "So we wanted to highlight that. And again, I can’t stress enough, yes it’s for recruiting, but more so for our students now: When they walk into this place they have something they’re looking up to and aspiring to.”

Regardless of what the student-athletes' dreams are, Griffin says she wants them to have a sense of hope to realize their dreams by following in the footsteps of those who have come before them, or by forging a new path.

“We wanted our present players and our future players to understand how important it is to honor them and to honor those teams and to remember them and really take a piece of what made them successful,” Griffin says. “Why were these specific teams successful? How we can learn from that and how we can try to emulate that and even surpass that?”

Natasha Cloud ’15, whose photo dons the wall behind the WNBA plaques, is one name that resonates throughout the locker room to this day. Not only did she make it to the WNBA and win a national championship with the Washington Mystics, but she’s also a model for those who are looking to use their platform to inspire social change. Cloud, who opted out of the 2020 season to fight for social justice, was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for her activism.

Hard. Smart. Together.

One of the biggest typographical installations in the locker room is “Play Hard, Smart, Together.” It’s something that Coach Griffin talks about every day.

“It’s something that was already ingrained in our students,” Lavin says. But to see it every day in big lettering walking in and out of the locker room, serves as a reminder of the importance of that kinship.

Relax and unwind.

The lounge area was designed with the goal of creating a bond between the team at its core. The space allows the student-athletes to spend time together in a relaxed environment where they can listen to music, watch movies or do homework, eat meals and catch up with teammates.

“I think it’s just a great place to really decompress and to hang out and to really build some comradery, too, off the court,” Griffin says.

On the wall is a simple statement that reflects that desire for teamwork: “Together we will.”

Griffin says the program has always emphasized playing for the name on the front of their jersey not the back — realizing that you’re playing for something bigger than yourself. She also emphasizes that basketball is a team sport and the culture of their team has always been about playing for each other.

“We do everything together,” Griffin says. “We win together, we lose together, we cry together, we laugh together. And when one woman is hurt, we’re all hurt. When one of our teammates is doing well, I might not be doing that well, but I’m going to cheer for her because that’s what we are. We’re a family. And I think that’s really important for us and the culture of our program.”

A spot to gather as a family.

Ask anyone who spent time on Hawk Hill to describe the culture at St. Joe’s — family is one word you’ll likely hear a lot. The women’s basketball team wanted to create a lounge that allowed the teammates, which feel more like sisters, to come together.

The lounge is grounded by two main pieces of furniture: a semi-circle couch and a large table that can seat the entire team. Previously, the players lounge had multiple small tables and too few chairs to seat the whole team. Now they have a massive family-style table to gather at.

“Just the significance of that itself, that the whole team can sit around a family table and have a meal together, breaking bread together, is a pretty cool thing,” Lavin says.

During the lockdowns, the student-athletes trained hard on their own, but spent time together as a team each day on Zoom. Now that they’re back together on campus, their bond — while at most times physically distanced — has been strong.

“The last emblem on the way out is a hawk with the word ‘Family’ through it because ultimately – wins, losses, whatever, I mean look at this year, we’ve [only just started] to play – that’s something that has to anchor you, that idea of family,” she says.

Hawk Pride.

At the door of the locker room is a simple sign with two words: Hawk Pride. When designing the locker room this was one piece Lavin knew needed to remain. It had been in the previous locker room, and the one before that when Lavin played at St. Joe’s.

The tradition is one piece that remains consistent across the past locker room designs.

“You’re walking out onto that game floor, you hit that ‘Hawk Pride’ and you’re ready to roll.”