Keynote speaker Teresa Edwards, the only five-time Olympian in US history, addressed over 600 IWLCA member coaches in an address to the membership during the IWLCA Annual Meeting presented by Nike on Wednesday night. Edwards' message was both inspiring and entertaining, and IWLCA President Alicia Groveston said "Teresa challenged us to look within ourselves and find what fuels us. And she emphasized that when we finish our journey, we need to be proud of what we left behind."

Edwards shared some of the lessons she learned from the coaches she had during her remarkable basketball career. She also shared the challenges she faced when she transitioned into coaching. After her remarks, Edwards opened the floor for questions and answered several queries from IWLCA members.

"One of the biggest takeaways for me was the importance of learning how to teach the game and translating that into how we mentor and coach our players," said Kelly Gallagher, head coach at the University of Tampa. 

Groveston, who had the opportunity to interact with Edwards before her speech, said "It is so impressive to see someone who is so passionate about what she does. She prepared for her speech by trying to learn as much as she could about our game before she arrived here. Simply put, she was great, and we all feel very fortunate that she was willing to share her journey with us."

Edwards concluded with a poignant description of her relationship with her collegiate coach, Andy Landers. "Coach Landers molded more coaches and leaders out of his players than anyone I know," Edwards said.