The second in a series of stories on some of the people behind-the-scenes of Indiana women's basketball. In this edition, administrative assitant Julie Force enters her ninth year with the program and has become a major asset to the coaching staff and players.
Julie Force's seat at Assembly Hall isn't reserved, but it might as well be.
Force can always be found in the same place during every Indiana women's basketball home game. She sits with her kids in the bleachers on the northern end of Assembly Hall, just a few feet away from the court and with the Hoosier bench to her right.
During the normal workday, Force is busy managing and distributing information within Cook Hall as the team's Administrative Assistant. But on game day, she says she feels more like the team's number one cheerleader, rooting the Hoosiers on from the spot that's become her own.
"We sit there every time," Force said. "I don't know why we choose to sit in the uncomfortable bleachers, but that's our spot. That's the place to be."
Force said watching Indiana's games up close is one of the more rewarding parts of her job as the team's Administrative Assistant. A Bloomington native and Indiana graduate herself, Force is entering her ninth year working for the team. And although she's not on the bench during games, she's right there with the team from nearby.
"She comes to every game and she's right there with us," Indiana head coach Teri Moren said. "She knows when we're struggling or when we're frustrated, and she's super supportive. She gets real excited when we have success because we all share it." Force with 2013 seniors Linda Rubene, Aulani Sinclair and Jasmine McGhee. Force admits she never would have envisioned working for an athletic program, and basketball was never really on her radar.
A music lover with a degree in telecommunications, Force worked briefly in radio during college and said she always figured radio would become a career.
But by chance, her administrative career started in the Alumni Association where she worked with Terri Smithson, who now works as Fred Glass's Executive Assistant.
After taking time off as she started a family, Force called Smithson in 2007 to inquire about any job openings. The administrative assistant position was open, and Force was hired on the spot. Nine years later, Force hasn't left.
"It was just one of those things where I found my perfect fit," she said.
Force's main responsibility is managing Moren's schedule and keeping her calendar in order from her adjacent office in Cook Hall.
She'll help coordinate speaking engagements, man the front reception area and help keep data regarding potential recruits, among other things. It normally changes on the day depending on what's thrown her way.
"She keeps me organized. Actually, she keeps us all organized," Moren said. "Everything that we do is so time related, and she makes sure we're all on track." Force with Indiana University alum Mark Cuban. One of the longest tenured employees in the basketball office, Force has seen the program's growth both on and off the court.
She's seen eight full seasons and experienced the move into Cook Hall first hand. From her seat at Assembly Hall, she's watched as attendance has risen and the excitement level surrounding the women's program has grown.
"You know, the men have such a rich tradition here, so it's rewarding for me to be going into my ninth season now and see the great fan support we have now," Force said. "I've seen a lot of changes, Cook Hall especially was huge for us. I've just seen our program grow and change so much, and I think we have much more of a national presence than we did."
Having seen so many players come and go throughout her career, Force said she feels almost like a motherly figure to the players.
An avid tennis player, she'll play matches with anyone interested, which now includes sophomores Tyra Buss and Jess Walter assistant coach Todd Starkey.
"I just feel like it's a different relationship because I'm not a coach and I'm not at practice, so I'm hopefully just an encouraging person to them," she said.
As players come and go, Force said she hopes she's been able to teach them something in their time together. She still stays in touch with former players, and although she didn't anticipate it a decade ago, Force seems to have found her home with the team in the same place she grew up.
"If you live in Bloomington and you can be involved with IU athletics, it's really special," Force said. "It's special to me because I went here. It fits our lifestyle. I mean, every day I go to work at Cook Hall, and that's really special."