For Hofstra women’s basketball head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson, her first year with the Pride was filled with adaptation and change, words that Santos Atkinson now lives by.
After all, this is her second stop in Hempstead. Her first was from 2006-2010 as an assistant coach. Following Hofstra, Santos Atkinson served as a piece of the puzzle at the University of Pittsburgh, Florida State University (FSU) and the University of Kentucky, assisting these schools in becoming powerhouses and helping build a top of the line recruiting class at FSU.
Though she originally wanted to be a teacher, Santos Atkinson is now teaching college freshmen through seniors on the court and inside the locker room instead of fourth graders in a classroom.
“We want them to walk away in their four years and say that was the best four years of my life,” Santos Atkinson said. “Not because we won a championship; not because I was on the honor roll; but because I won a championship, I was on the honor roll and I was able to develop relationships.”
Speaking of relationships, Santos Atkinson wants to make sure that she keeps that warm and fuzzy feeling in the locker room, within reason.
“I care about student-athletes and everybody in our program as if they were my kids,” she said.
The head coach of the Pride believes it is her duty and responsibility to have difficult conversations with her players about COVID-19 and racial injustice, and to allow them to use their voices.
“We want to make sure that in whatever we do,” Santos Atkinson said, “we want to try and do our part in changing some of the things that are part of our society.”
In her college playing career, Santos Atkinson made history as a University of Florida Gator. She finished her career in the top ten, with 80 three-pointers during her time in Gainesville. Balancing athletics and academics is critical for Santos-Atkinson, who was an Academic Champion and a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection.
Now, she has done it all. She was a successful player. She is a successful coach. And now, she is helping others, fostering a better Pride community one day at a time.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
