Why does VC head coach Kim Guidry continue to win?

Year in and year out, Vermilion Catholic Head Girls Basketball Coach Kim “Gidge” Guidry coaches her teams to victories.
How many victories, you ask?
In 30 years as a head coach at VC, she has accumulated 751 wins. It averages out to 25 wins a year.
Her teams do lose, just not often. She has 226 losses or an average of 8 a year.
Sprinkle in 27 years of making the playoffs, six trips to the Final Four, two Class 1A state titles and now you have a pretty successful high school basketball coach in Louisiana.
The $1,000 question is why is Guidry so successful at VC?
Her former players give their reason as to why she has won 70 percent of her games.
Angela Dubois Gallet graduated from VC in 1990. She was the MVP of the district and helped the Lady Eagles to a 32-7 record. Today, for the last eight years, Gallet is assisting Guidry on the bench as an assistant coach.
Gallet said, “Her dedication for the last 30 years to the Vermilion Catholic Lady Eagles’ program is indescribable. Her love for the game, and for Catholic education itself, is proven by her years of service.
“She has always said that ‘she’ is the one who is blessed to see so many young ladies come through the doors of VC and become fine young women. But to tell you the truth, it is us, her players and former players, who were taught that selfless dedication to a particular cause can reap many rewards. She has been a staple of consistency at Vermilion Catholic and has taught me that it is in giving that we receive.
“Her love for the game has gotten her to where she is now: and her love for VC is what will carry her for many years to come.”
Guidry became the head coach at VC for the 1985-1986 season. She replaced Earl Heitz, who retired.
Upperclassmen players on her first high team were Michelle LaPorte, Laura Carlos, Racheal Broussard, Erika Minnick, Kathy Sellers and Lynn Veazey.
LaPorte is still friends with her former coach, 30 years later.
LaPorte has her theory as to why Guidry is a winner.
“I can only go by what I know of Gidge as a person, but in my opinion, the reason she continues to win is because her players admire and respect who she is as a person as well as a coach,” LaPorte said. “When you play for someone you truly like and respect, it makes you push harder and want to be a better player. Winning becomes not just for and about yourself, but for your coach who has put so much time and effort into helping you get better, on and off the court. Gidge did all these things for me, and I can only assume she still does the same for her players today.”
Guidry was Kallen Boudreaux Belanger (Class of 1989) basketball and tennis coach. She gives her thoughts as to why Guidry is successful.
“Her faith in God, the students and the whole VC community is what keeps ‘Gidge’ winning! She loves what she does and it shows! She has been an inspiration to many athletes that have walked the halls of Vermilion Catholic,” Belanger said.
Hollie Nelms is a 2006 graduate. She played for four years.
“I don’t know of any other coach that works harder for her players. She and the coaching staff create a family atmosphere and preach not only about basketball, but also discipline and character,” Nelms said. “That resonates with her players and they fight just as hard to win for her.”
Michelle Guarino Bourque was a freshman when Guidry began coaching.
“Coach Guidry always stressed teamwork. She taught us how to do our job and to trust our teammates to do their jobs. It was never about an individual player but always about our Lady Eagles team,” said Michelle Guarino Bourque, Class of 1990.
Katie Frith, as a senior, helped her team win Guidry’s second state title in 2013.
“I think that Gidge’s winning record is due to a number of things, the most important being the emphasis she puts on tradition and being a team,” said Frith. “Gidge has the ability to transform the raw, natural talent that walks through the doors of VC into something much bigger, much more important than just a basketball player. She stresses the importance of using your God-given talents to the very best of your abilities- for yourself and those around you. And as far as tradition goes, winning is only a small part of it!”
Mary Ellen Vincent was a senior on VC’s first state championship team in 1999.
“As a former player for Kim Guidry (1999 State Champions), I can truly say that ‘Gidge’ continues winning because of her love for the sport and the drive that she instills in each of her players. Her passion, perseverance, and faith leave a lasting impression on every player that has the privilege to play for such a legend. I’m proud to have been a player for Gidge and to have run the same courts as all future and past Lady Eagles.”
Brooke Broussard Zaunbrecher was a guard for Guidry from 2006 to 2010.
Zaunbrecher said, “Gidge continuously has winning seasons because she’s motivating, has positive influences on her players and shows them how to be leaders. Throughout her career, she has devoted countless hours to better her team. Also, her knowledge and dedication to basketball is what has made her career so successful.”
Danielle LaPorte David was a freshman when Guidry began coaching at VC. Today, her daughter Caroline is a senior on this year’s basketball team. She has enjoyed watching Guidry coach her daughter for four years.
“I know Gidge would say that her continued success is a direct reflection of the girls that she coaches,” said David. “This is true to an extent. However, her passion for the game of basketball and her compassion for the girls that she coaches cannot be discounted.
“She cultivates a family atmosphere for her players and stresses that each and every girl is valuable and vital to the success of the team as a whole. And by success, I don’t just mean winning the game. She is well aware that she is helping to shape and fine tune the character of her players to give them the best possible chance of success, not just on the court, but in life.
“No matter what’s going on in her personal life, she’s there for her team! I can say from experience that the girls that play for her become part of her family for life. Her brother, Tim, has been part of the Lady Eagles as far back as my freshman year and remains part of the team today. Her mom, Ms. Annie, gives the best hugs around! You can’t be around Ms. Annie and not smile from your heart. Family is everything to Gidge. I’m so proud and honored for both Caroline and me to forever be Lady Eagles. After all, once a Lady Eagle, always a Lady Eagle!”
Win or lose Saturday in the state finals, Guidry will always be a winner in the minds of her former and present players.