Sandy Eyes To Build Long Term Success With Lady Panthers

Being at the helm of her own program for the first time, Jackson County High School’s newest girls basketball coach, Mackenzie Sandy (formerly Darrah), is ready to build a new foundation for Lady Panther basketball.

Approved as the new head coach in April, Sandy is now preparing to be on the sidelines of her first game on Nov. 15 when both varsity squads host Oconee County. Since her arrival at Jackson County High School, which has featured a complete offseason workout regime, Sandy has been focused on building a program that can compete at the highest of levels, both on and off the court.

“Building a foundation, we talk about it as a program,” Sandy said. “Matthew 7, verses 24 through 27, it talks about building a firm foundation. Are you going to be a wise builder or a foolish builder? And when you are a wise builder, you are not just listening to it, but you are listening to it and taking it to action to build a foundation of a program that works hard on and off the court. It is not just the game of basketball; I look at it as the game of life.

“I am trying to reach out to these girls and build them up, not just as basketball players, but strong women to be great daughters, mothers, friends, people. I think there are a lot of life lessons in basketball. Yes, the goal is to always win, but you find wins in other categories.”

“I am trying to reach out to these girls and build them up, not just as basketball players, but strong women to be great daughters, mothers, friends, people. I think there are a lot of life lessons in basketball. Yes, the goal is to always win, but you find wins in other categories.”

As part of the program building, Sandy said she is in constant communication with head boys coach Joel Lecoeuvre, who is entering his second year at JCHS. The goal is to build a pair of varsity basketball teams that are sustainable long-term. 

“I’ve talked to him since Day 1,” Sandy said. “Just telling each other to embrace the grind. Coming in with not quite the record you want it to be, just yet, is humbling. You have to be committed to working hard and doing the little things right and getting players to buy in and trust the process. We have shared drills, off the court stuff — how do you get through tough days and make a great day into the next one? We talk every day to just build both programs up to be successful.”

Sandy said she was driven to Jackson County when she was looking at making the step into the head coaching role, after serving as an assistant coach at Rabun County High School in Tiger, Ga. She said felt a connection to JCHS upon walking on campus.

“I have always wanted to be a head coach,” Sandy said. “I was ready to step out and start my own program. I had a couple of interviews and Jackson County was my third, and immediately when I came on campus I felt something. That sounds crazy, but I really did. The school is wonderful, beautiful. And then when I met the administration, I felt a sense of belonging. 

“As I stepped into the role in April, I connected with the players and parents. Obviously starting the school year, it has been amazing. I feel like I am right where I am supposed to be.”

Sandy, who recently married in October and jokingly admitted to prospective future head coaches to avoid a wedding and an upcoming basketball season at the same time, does share a love of basketball with her new husband, Kyle. 

That love for the game means conversations about the Lady Panthers continue well after the work day has ended.

“He does a lot for the game of basketball, too. I lucked out that we are sort of a power team that are going to try to change the game for the better,” Sandy said. “It is really hard to avoid talking about the game. We both love it; it is our passion. We get home, decompress from the whole day, and there is a lot of basketball talk.”

Sandy’s drive to build a championship-caliber program was fostered from her high school days, when she won a pair of state championships playing for Gene Durden at Buford High School. Sandy and Durden remain close friends, and she admits he taught her a lot about the importance of a player-coach relationship. 

“It is an invaluable experience,” Sandy said. “I learned a lot from Coach Durden. I learned not only the value of working hard, but building relationships. That is where it starts. You cannot coach a kid if you’re not connected to them. 

“He taught me amazing lessons of building relationships, trusting the buy in, and to get players to run through a brick wall for you. I did that as a player for him, because I trusted him.”

With the first game just two weeks away, and the first region contest Dec. 10 against Apalachee, Sandy said she is focused on getting her players better every day, taking small victories when they get them and not letting a defeat get them down. 

Every moment is teachable.

“I am excited for the girls, they have been working hard since the day I got them,” Sandy said. “I have asked for a lot, and they have delivered above and beyond my expectations. Yes, there are tough days, there are great days, but at the end of it, they are going to see rewards for the hard work. It may not be immediate, but any small wins, small victories, is what we are keeping our eye on the prize.

“A loss is a gain for us, in a sense, because we are learning what we can fix going into region. We’ve got a pretty tough non-region schedule to build us up and get us ready for that. And I think telling them, ‘let’s not look at the score every time. Let’s look at how we started the first quarter, and can we put four quarters together?’ It is not a can’t mentality, a ‘oh we did this last year.’ 

“It is we can and we will.”

Click here to view the 2024-25 JCHS Basketball Schedule