‘I am living the dream’: Wichita’s LaMont Russell chasing Final Four with Louisville
Seven years ago, a kid from Wichita with little more than a dream to someday be on a Division I coaching staff hopped on a plane to Tampa to attend the women’s basketball Final Four.
Back in 2015, LaMont Russell was an assistant coach for the women’s basketball team at Hesston College, a tiny NJCAA Division II team in central Kansas. It was the only line on his resume, other than his NCAA Division I playing career.
It’s still hard for Russell to believe less than two years later he would join the staff of the Louisville women’s basketball team, one of the premier programs in the country. And it’s even harder to believe that Russell is back in his hometown this week, in his sixth season as the team’s video coordinator, as the No. 1 seed Cardinals prepare to play Tennessee at 3 p.m. Saturday at Intrust Bank Arena in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.
“It’s a surreal moment to be home in Wichita for work,” Russell said. “It’s a dream to be at a premier program with great coaches that I learn from every day. As long as I continue to grow and learn professionally as well as personally, it’s a blessing. I do feel like I am living the dream.”
Russell considers that 2015 flight to Tampa as the turning point in his career.
At the time, the 6-foot-6 wing had just decided to finish his playing career after a successful high school career at Wichita South, then a collegiate career with stops at Hesston College and Southeast Missouri State, followed by a short stint professionally in Switzerland. Russell decided to take a chance at coaching when Dan Harrison, the head coach of the women’s team at Hesston College, asked him if he would be interested in returning to Hesston.
In their year together, Harrison took an immediate liking to Russell. He saw the game like a coach and had a sharp mind with the X’s and O’s, impressing the head coach when he challenged Russell to take more and more responsibility in game planning and in practice.
So after the team’s 2014-15 season, Harrison insisted Russell take his place traveling to Tampa for the 2015 women’s Final Four. He even bought Russell the plane ticket.
“I could tell he was getting serious about coaching and I had been to a few Final Fours in my day, so I told him this was something you’ve got to do and you’ve got to be apart of,” Harrison said. “He needed to be around those people and see what it’s really like. I think that experience really turned up the temperature for his passion.”
While the plane ticket and credential allowed Russell to walk through the door, it was entirely up to him to make the most of the opportunity.
His networking immediately paid dividends when he met Wichita State head coach Jody Adams-Birch and assistant Bridgette Gordon. Not long after, Russell accepted an offer to join the WSU staff as a graduate assistant for the 2015-16 season.
“Shoutout to Dan Harrison,” Russell said. “He saw the potential in me and wanted me to grow as a coach and in the field. Being around Jody and Bridgette and just their attention to detail and their commitment to excellence was incredible. They challenged me every single day and that helped prepare me.”
A year later, in part due to his experience at WSU, Russell was hired by Louisville coach Jeff Walz as the team’s video coordinator. Russell was able to stand out in the application process with his graphic design ability, developed when he minored in graphic design in his undergraduate degree and worked full-time as a graphic designer in Hesston.
While Russell is popular with the players for his ability to create graphics to celebrate their achievements and welcome incoming recruits, he has gained the respect of Walz, one of the top coaches in the country, by his hard work in the film room.
“He played in college, so he understands the game,” Walz said. “When he’s watching something, if he sees something, he’ll pull it out to me. When we played Oregon down in the Virgin Islands, he’s the one that came up and said, ‘Hey, I watched Central Florida do this to Duke and I think we can do the same thing.’ That’s when we put (a center) on the point guard.
“It’s great when you’ve got a video person who is breaking some things down for you that also can come in my office and share ideas. He’s very valuable to us. He’s a hard worker, a really good person. We’re hoping to keep him around for as long as we can.”
When relayed that story on Friday, Harrison beamed with pride. That’s exactly what Russell used to do with him seven years ago.
“In small-college basketball, you’re driving for hours in vans together and eating late-night fast food,” Harrison said. “There’s a lot of time to just talk. And we talked about strategy and this is what I’m thinking and why I’m doing it and just a lot of game situations. I would always ask him what his recommendation would be.
“As a head coach, you want that extra bit of feedback, that extra tidbit of information to make a decision. To see him be able to put that into effect at such a high level and have the confidence to go to a head coach, well that’s just really gratifying for me as a former head coach to see that growth.”
Russell says he is always watching basketball, whether it’s a men’s game, women’s game or even a youth game — he believes there can be a kernel to take away from every viewing experience.
He has the perspective of a former player, the mind of a coach and the grind of a graduate assistant. It’s a combination he hopes someday allows him to join a staff as a coach, but at age 34, Russell said he’s in no hurry.
“I think covid taught me to always keep 10 toes down,” Russell said. “You can’t really prepare or think too far in the future, so my only goal right now is to have a great game against Tennessee.”
And three years after booking a ticket as an outside to the Final Four, Russell was able to be apart of a team that played in the 2018 Final Four. In his time at Louisville, the Cardinals have advanced to at least the Sweet 16 in every NCAA tournament.
He’s still trying to wrap his mind around potentially securing another trip to the Final Four in his hometown with his friends and family in attendance.
“I don’t know if I would call it destiny, but I’m definitely blessed,” Russell said. “The big guy above presented an opportunity for me and I walked through the door and every morning I count my blessings because I’m definitely blessed to be at Louisville.”
This story was originally published March 25, 2022 at 1:34 PM.
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