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People SearchFind an individual who either played a sport or was a member of a support group. Search by last name by clicking on the first letter of the person's last name.
Ms. Tara Shamsie
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Home Phone: -- Spotlight on Former Athlete: Tara Shamsie – Women’s Basketball 1994-97, Softball 1994 Shamsie learned from coaching mentors By Bruce Brown Written for Athletic Network To fully grasp Tara Shamsie’s fierce competitive nature, it helps to look at her days as a medal-winning distance runner for Midland High School. Known mainly for her ball-handling and defense for the Lady Rebels basketball program, Shamsie found time in the spring for 13 LHSAA state titles in 800, 1600 and 3200 meters. She also ran on the 4×400 relay, led MHS to a team title and threw in a couple of cross country crowns for good measure. Her secret to success may surprise some. “I hated running,†she said, “but I hated losing worse than running. I was ADHD, and I wanted to finish as soon as I could. I don’t remember losing too many times.†The lure for Shamsie was the chance to compete for Dwayne Searle, who coached both basketball and track at Midland. Loyalty drove her to those distance wins, just as it later prompted Shamsie to play for UL’s Ragin’ Cajun women once Searle led that program. “My success as a basketball player was due to Coach Searle,†Shamsie said. “He was a motivator. He made you better. His knowledge of the game is phenomenal. He knew what was going to happen before it happened. “We had a lot of success at Midland (perennial playoff team). No one could score on us. And, when teams would pressure, he would have me dribble against their press. I loved it. “He made the game fun, made you want to win.†It was hard, then, when Searle left for then-USL after Shamsie’s junior year. He had been her coach since eighth grade. “I cried when he left,†she said. “We were still good, but it was frustrating for everyone.†The move didn’t work out, as Searle’s teams endured hard times before he returned to high school coaching and currently flourishes as Acadiana High’s boys coach. “It was tough losing,†said Shamsie, who spent a year in junior college before enrolling at USL. “We won in JUCO, and all we did was win at Midland. It was frustrating watching him be so frustrated. “I think recruiting had a lot to do with it. He did what he could with what he had. I’d still rather play for him and lose than play for anyone else.†Improving fortunes Things have changed with Cajun women’s basketball. Coach Garry Brodhead’s squad soared to unprecedented postseason heights by winning the Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI) with a 52-50 title victory over Siena at a raucous Earl K. Long Gym. Shamsie was delighted with the development. “I’m definitely not surprised by Garry’s success,†said Shamsie, who coached with Brodhead for 4 years at Teurlings Catholic early in her career. “He puts in the time and effort to be a success. He and Dwayne are a lot alike in their philosophy.†It was also a season marked by drama, as Garry’s wife Andrea battled illness throughout the campaign. “Andrea is definitely the backbone of that family,†Shamsie said. “She’s a fighter, also, and she’s making a tremendous, remarkable recovery.†While not able to attend a UL game, Shamsie followed the results and likes Brodhead’s blueprint for building a program. “Garry is taking a different approach,†she said. “He’s trying to involve the community more in different ways, so they can relate to the players. We did it for softball (at USL). “I’ve talked to (Alabama assistant, former Cajun) Alyson Habetz, and she said the community loves Bama softball because they love the kids. They actually work with their players on things like how to interview, how to make eye contact. “People are attracted to the kids themselves. It’s a whole different atmosphere. That approach is drawing people to the gyms and fields. And, with more people there, you play better.†That team-crowd symbiosis was apparent in the WBI title game, a bond forged to some degree by community involvement by the Cajuns. Interesting path While Shamsie did not anticipate such hard times on the court at USL, she also could not have known how one step would change her coaching career. “I was on scholarship for basketball, and a number of softball players were injured (in 1994),†she said. “Coach (Yvette) Girouard put out a call for players. I never played softball until college, but I played some outfield for them.†Time spent with that nationally-ranked program had a lasting effect on the former Midland star, who is in her second year as assistant softball coach at Plaquemine High School. “I enjoyed it,†Shamsie said. “I learned a lot from Yvette and Pat Murphy. I was clueless on game and strategy. I could coach basketball with my eyes closed. “I’ve definitely learned a lot more. Softball is more relaxing than basketball. You have more time to make decisions. I still communicate with Yvette. When I get in a bind, I want to make sure I find the right way to do things.†Shamsie works under head coach Mary Gaye David at PHS, the latest stop in a coaching career that has included Teurlings (4 years), Opelousas Catholic (5) and False River Academy (7), the latter including athletic director duties. “As an assistant here, I just have to deal with the kids and get the field ready,†she said. “I like that better.†Late in the season, Plaquemine was headed for the playoffs, sparked by four college signees. But Shamsie remains proud of her time at False River – on and off the field. “It was a small town, and we did a lot with the elderly – cleaning their yards, things like that,†she said. “I teach accountability and responsibility, to see how things are going to be in the real world. “I pardnered them up, to teach them it’s not all about you. Doing something wrong affects those around you. They learned to take care of each other, and became a team. “They bought in, and would run through a brick wall for me.†Modern times “Kids are different now,†Shamsie said. “There is a sense of entitlement. When I played, I earned every bit of playing time I got. Instead, now you get parents saying, ‘My kid is never wrong.’ “There are so many other things going on now. Five, six or seven years ago, it meant everything. When we lost my last game in high school, I fell to the floor crying. “I didn’t want to give the uniform back. Still haven’t.†Somewhere, deep inside, there is the same Tara Shamsie. She’s a veteran coach now, using what she has learned from some of the best, but she’s still the one who became a champion because she hated to lose more than anything. * * * * * * * * * * Tara and her 1993-94 teammates are shown below. Click here for the L’Acadien posting about the 93-94 team. Click here for Tara and her 1995-96 teammates. * * * * * * * * Click here for the chronological listings of the Spotlight on Former Athletes.
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