A quick chat with her players reveals why.
Relaxed and easygoing, their expressions still flicker a hint of the burning intensity underneath -- especially if you bring up the postseason or Maryville.
Right now, the Lady Lions (24-3) have every reason to be intense about both subjects after recently defeating archrival Maryville (Tenn.) to clinch the Great South Athletic Conference title and earn their second consecutive berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.
"This was the first year anyone from this conference has beaten Maryville at their place," senior post Nikki Sosebee, a Jackson County High graduate, said. "That was huge."
Yet it was Piedmont's third triumph of the season over their rivals -- 89-73 in the conference championship game on March 1 -- that proved biggest. Thanks to that win, the Lady Lions will take on Oglethorpe University in the first round of the national tournament at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Ky.
"It's amazing," Sosebee said. "We're all pumped."
But not so pumped that they'll be overwhelmed -- remember that "controlled" bit.
Besides, Piedmont believes it got those kind of butterflies out of the way last season when the team made its first trip to the Division III version of the Big Dance.
"Last year at this time there were a lot of nerves; we were just excited to be there," Sosebee said.
The Lions' postseason inexperience showed in 2007, as they were knocked out of the first round by Randolph Macon, 83-68 -- after taking a 28-16 lead late in the first half.
"This year we know what to expect," senior forward Sheena Trimiar, a Habersham Central graduate, said. "We know how to adjust to the excitement of being there, how to deal with the noise."
It also helps that they'll be playing a familiar opponent -- even though Oglethorpe defeated the Lady Lions 86-67 on Nov. 27 of this season.
"I know that Oglethorpe will have improved over the season, but I can tell you that we are nowhere close to the team we were last time we played," Childs-Purdy said. "We have learned how to play with each other, and our seniors have really stepped up since then."
That certainly includes Trimiar and Sosebee, who lead the team in scoring at 11.5 and 11.4 points per game respectively. Sosebee was also named Great South Athletic Conference Player of the Year, while Trimiar was named conference tournament MVP.
Meanwhile, junior guard Beth Adcock, a Flowery Branch graduate, is third on the team with 8.2 points scored per game -- including a game-high 20 in the championship contest against Maryville.
Childs-Purdy also praises the development of some of her younger players -- including Johnson graduate and Piedmont freshman Laura Simmons -- who are now playing key roles.
"We've got two freshmen putting in a lot of minutes," Childs-Purdy said. "They've made a big difference as they've gotten better."
According to her players, Childs-Purdy is a big reason for that improvement.
"She's really brought the program around," Sosebee said.
In her third season in charge, Childs-Purdy says she simply continued the trend laid down by coach Charles Cooper, who coached her at Piedmont and brought her on as an assistant coach before he passed away from a heart illness.
"Charles Cooper did a lot to turn the program around," Childs-Purdy said. "He was here six years and really got things going. He won his 1,000th career game as a coach here -- against Maryville."
Yet Childs-Purdy, who graduated from Piedmont in 2000, says she was a little hesitant to come back to her alma mater when Cooper first contacted her about the job.
"I was really excited about what I had going at Middle Georgia College," said Childs-Purdy, who coached Middle Georgia for three seasons. "But I have family here and coach Cooper was so good to me that I felt like I owed it to him."
Despite the typical adjustment period new coaches and teams require, Childs-Purdy led the Lady Lions to a 20-7 record in her first season in charge. And though they won fewer games the next season -- 18-8 -- Piedmont still claimed its first Great South title and first NCAA bid.
"It's been a good experience, the past four years," Sosebee said. "We've only lost like 20 games over that time. And teams give us a lot of respect now."
"People come to play when they play us," Adcock said. "We have the target on our backs now."
It's a target that could grow even larger should the Lady Lions find a way past Oglethorpe on Friday -- but don't think that will distract Childs-Purdy's squad from its ultimate goal: advancing in the postseason.
"It could be our last game," Trimiar said. "We're going to give it our all."
After talking with them, there's little doubt that the Lady Lions will do anything but.
Piedmont's Nikki Sosebee, right, shoots over an opponet during a game played earlier this season.
Piedmont's Sheena Trimiar surges past defenders during a game played earlier this season.
Piedmont coach Jamie Childs-Purdy instructs her players.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/3/207732