During her introductory press conference inside the Thomas Assembly Center Tuesday, former Lady Techster standout and now former head coach of the Northwestern State Demons, Brooke Stoehr, was visibly emotional. She attributed her emotions at one point as a result of "passion and investment" to Northwestern State, just one of seven times she used the word 'passion' in the 30 minutes.

Being that emotional after leaving her first head coaching job is a great sign for Louisiana Tech. She understands the tradition and history of the Lady Techsters.

"As a head coach, I have a great responsibility to uphold the tradition and get this program where it needs to be. I understand that fully. I am not scared of that. I do not shy away from that. I respect that and my passion is to lead us to where we need to be."

Most who leave Tech call Ruston and Louisiana Tech a 'special place' (count me in that number), Stoehr is no different.

"This is a special place. This is a special place to me, with a rich tradition and history. We are not broken. I want everyone to understand that. We are moving forward and we are going in the right direction because of you (Student-athletes). This is why we are here. This is why I am here. This is our purpose and our passion. If these young ladies aren’t here, we do not have a team and I do not have a job. This is our focus and this is where our focus should be."

Making sure every Lady Techster she recruits to Ruston has an experience similar to hers is important to Stoehr.

"I loved my four years here. My experience was tremendous. I want you guys to have that same feel when you leave this great campus. I am a firm believer that you win with people. Great players, yes, but you win with people. You need people that you can trust, people that will go to bat for you and people that have a deep care with what you are doing. We are going to continue to add the right people as we move forward. We are going to be very successful because of that."

After yesterday's press conference it is clear the Lady Techsters are in good hands.