TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (November 23, 2017) – For over 20 years, Betsy Specketer has poured her entire being into building a nationally-elite women's basketball program in Salt Lake City.
 
The longtime coach of the Salt Lake Community College Bruins has succeeded in doing so, building a program that is renowned for its focus on academic development, basketball fundamentals and societal respect. Saturday was a noteworthy day for the SLCC community and Specketer, but the coach found it hard to share in the moment. In her mind, Salt Lake merely earned a close win over Midland College to move its record to 6-1; in the mind of those associated with the Bruins, a SLCC institution earned her 500^th career win.
 
Still, Specketer, while grateful for the praise, continued to push off praise towards others in her response to the recent honors.
 
"There are so many people that I share this milestone with," she said. "I've had great players, amazing assistant coaches by my side, tremendous administrative support from SLCC, and the genuine love and support of the SLCC community. So many people have helped me through the years."
 
Specketer's journey in Salt Lake begin in the 1994-95 season, as she became an assistant coach for then-SLCC coach Monica Starrett. After two seasons in tow, the Illinois native took over the reins of the Bruins program with a commitment to building a lasting success story. 21 years later, Specketer's program has built a legacy of success that stands tall amongst the perennial powers of the Scenic West Athletic Conference.
 
All of the accomplishment bely a dedicated educator who merely wanted to professionally focus on working with young people in a coach-player relationship.
 
"I knew I wanted to be a teacher at a very early age because teachers get their summers off," Specketer said with a smile. "Basketball was always my personal favorite and one I played in college, so I was pleased that coaching basketball was part of the overall job responsibilities."
 
SLCC athletic director Kevin Dustin said Specketer's focus on education with the Bruins has been remarkable.

"I am so proud of Betsy," he said. "Her commitment to excellence here at Salt Lake Community College has been an example to me and all our staff.  She is the consummate professional.  Her teams play with passion and discipline.  I have met dozens of our former players and they speak of Coach Specketer in almost reverential tones."
 
The statistics to consider are impressive – 20 consecutive winning seasons; 8 SWAC championships; 4 consecutive SWAC titles; 3 Region 18 titles; 6 NJCAA tourney berths; 16 NJCAA All-Americans; 6 SWAC Most-Valuable-Players; four years of tournament wins; and 8 Region 18 Coach-of-the-Year awards.
 
While the awards are numerous, Specketer said it's the interaction with players that has most inspired her to continue pushing forward in coaching.
 
"When (former players) come back in 5-to-10 years, it's always so much fun to reminisce with them," she said. "They remember so much more than I do – road trips, hanging out with their teammates, and growing and bonding as a team. They also remember the tough stuff too, which is part of growing and learning.
 
"Some of those (tough) lessons can be hard to learn, but they always seem to come back and say how much they loved it at SLCC and are grateful for the time that they were here. I'm grateful that so many of them stay in touch and really do remain #Bruins4Life."
 
As Salt Lake sits at 6-1 in the 2017-18 season, the Bruins have a great deal to be pleased with. For the ever-driving Specketer though, there is only goal – to maintain the program's reign at the top of the Scenic West.
 
"Nothing changes now," she said. "We've worked really hard over the years to build a successful and respected program, both at the regional and national level. My goal is to keep this program on top."