Plaisance hired to lead Lady Cols

Cleveland Verdin
May 26, 2008
Dr. Charles "Chuck" Binford
May 28, 2008
Cleveland Verdin
May 26, 2008
Dr. Charles "Chuck" Binford
May 28, 2008

With her family, friends and fellow coaches in attendance, Nicholls State Athletics Director Rob Bernardi introduced Dobee Plaisance as the ninth women’s basketball head coach in school history at a press conference held on campus Thursday night.


“She comes highly recommended,” Bernardi said. “Everywhere she has been she has turned the program around. Her enthusiasm, her energy, her dedication and her passion are what sold us.”


Plaisance comes to Nicholls after coaching the past 13 years at Loyola University in New Orleans. She replaces former head coach Mark Cook, who resigned March 14 after the Lady Colonels failed to make the Southland Conference tournament for a third straight year.

“I’m really looking forward to the opportunity here as well as the challenges,” Plaisance said. “I don’t run away from challenges, they entice me. It is with a heavy heart that I’m leaving there, but they trained me to be able to take this next step in my career.”


Plaisance has already set goals for the Lady Colonels, both on and off the court.


“I want to make them (the athletes) students not only in the game, but in the classroom,” she said. “It’s important that we establish ourselves both on campus and in the community. Winning at Loyola was a by-product of getting great kids; and that’s my goal here.”

While leaving Loyola was a difficult decision for Plaisance, it didn’t take much for her to come to Nicholls.


“The energy, the improvements of this campus and the division drew me to Nicholls State,” she said. “I am very excited about the enthusiasm over here at Nicholls State and can not wait to get started.”


One positive Plaisance brings on her resume is that success has followed her everywhere she has gone.

In her 13 years at Loyola, Plaisance compiled an 81-33 record in her last four years, which included back-to-back Gulf Coast Atlantic Conference Regular Season Championships (2006-2007 and 2007-2008).

The Wolfpack finished 25-9 in 2006-2007 and 28-7 this past season, which included a trip to the NAIA Elite Eight.

During her last two seasons, Plaisance was named GCAC coach of the year.

Prior to her tenure at Loyola, she coached eight years at St. Martin Episcopal High School in Metairie.

During Plaisance’s stint as head coach, St. Martin made the state playoffs seven times and won the state championship twice; 1993 and 1994.

In those two seasons, her squads compiled a 70-4 mark, which included a perfect 36-0 record in 1993.

While Plaisance understands the history of Nicholls State women’s basketball isn’t exactly one of winning, she said she is up to the challenge.

“I am going to do everything in my power to make this women’s basketball program a program of integrity and a program of power,” she said. “It will be with the help and support of everyone on the outside that we make this happen.”

Plaisance hired to lead Lady Cols