Throwing considerable caution to the wind, Erika Lambert is setting some high goals for her first season as the University of North Florida women's basketball coach in 2023-24.
She believes there is enough returning talent, combined with potential transfers, to finish among the top-three in the ASUN — something the Ospreys have done only once, with a third-place finish in 2021.
Lambert also set goals of 75 points per game and 10 made three-pointers per game — two milestones UNF has never reached in its NCAA Division I history, spanning 18 years.
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And if that wasn't ambitious enough, Lambert laid out two more goals.
"I have a vision that each player who sacrifices their blood, sweat and tears into a UNF jersey will leave campus with a diploma and a championship ring," she told a group of school officials, other UNF coaches, boosters and the media on Wednesday during an introductory news conference on Wednesday at the UNF Arena's Bank of England Suite. "There's nothing more special than postseason play and I want our players to experience that on a regular basis. I'm ready to get to work."
Lambert, a shot-blocking center at the College of Charleston from 2005-08 who paid her dues by serving as an assistant at four college programs, was hired on April 6 as UNF's third women's basketball coach, replacing Darrick Gibbs.
The Ospreys were 7-20 last season and 95-138 under Gibbs, with three winning seasons in eight years.
Lambert had been at Abilene Christian for seven years, with the Wildcats compiling a 184-83 record with one regular season conference title and one tournament championship.
She said she learned one important skill under Abilene Christian coach Julie Goodenough and the school's athletic support team.
"They taught me how to cut down nets," she said.
Lambert, 36, was the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Abilene and was instrumental in recruiting 16 players who earned all-conference honors, and two who were conference players of the year.
Lambert is still second in career blocked shots at the College of Charleston (1.64 per game, along with 7.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game) and said UNF will play an aggressive defense that will set up easy opportunities on offense.
"I like to play 94 feet of defense," she said, referring to the length of the basketball court. "We've got to disrupt on the defensive end. I think defense creates offense. We won't sacrifice one for the other."
After the disruption, or in a set offense, Lambert said she will encourage the shooters on her team to let it fly from beyond the arc — good news to returners such as Bishop Kenny graduate Maddie Millar, who battled injuries as a freshman but still made 37.2 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc.
"I love a three-point shot and I'm excited about Maddie's skill set," Lambert said of Millar, the second high school player in Florida history and the 13th player nationwide to pass 400 three-pointers in one career.
Also due back next season are guards Lyric Swann, the team's leading scorer (14.2 points per game), Kaila Rougier (9.3) and forward Emma Broermann (7.9 points and a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game).
Lambert said almost immediately after she was hired, she had FaceTime phone calls with returning players, which could number as many as eight barring anyone entering the transfer portal.
So far, they're keeping an open mind. None of the underclassmen have yet to enter the portal.
"It's a really unique situation in 2023, with a coaching change, that you didn't have a bunch of kids jump in the portal looking for something different," Lambert said. "I think it says a lot about how much they love the University, living in Jacksonville and they love each other as teammates. We'll continue to have face-to-face meetings and I want their feedback. I can see how excited they are."
Lambert said half of her goals for the team are well on the week to being met.
"I was blown away by this team's GPA," she said of their academic standing. "I love the academic standards here. If that's the way they conduct themselves in the classroom, that's probably how they'll carry themselves on the court as well."
Lambert's emphasis on the total package of student-athlete is what UNF athletic director Nick Morrow made the difference after he considered nearly 50 applicants for the job — interviewing 15.
"She approaches the whole thing from a holistic standpoint," he said. "She genuinely cares about developing the student-athlete. She also has a real calming presence about her but there is some fire behind that, a competitiveness. At the end of the day, we're a Division I program, and we're expected to win. We needed a proven winner."
Lambert has been married to her husband Paul, a pediatric dentist, for 15 years. They have two daughters, Ava and Maya.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Erika Lambert will high high demands on the court and classroom at UNF
