In addition Gales will be able to serve as a liaison between the coaching staff and the players, according to head coach Terri Mitchell.

“Having played here for four years, Rashida can give the players a great amount of insight about the program,” she said.

Since Gales graduated only last year, she has played with a majority of the girls on the team, giving her a level of familiarity with some of the team members, and she hopes to translate what she learned as a player over to the coaching ranks.

“I am going to take what I learned as a player in terms of getting through things and offer that to the girls,” Gales said.

In her playing career with the Golden Eagles as a guard, Gales split time coming off the bench in addition to starting. Her freshmen year, Gales averaged nine minutes a game and scored a season high 7 points when the Golden Eagles took on DePaul.

Her sophomore year saw Gales make it into the starting lineup for 14 games, where she notched a season-high 14 points against the Blue Demons of DePaul.

In her junior year Gales missed the first two games of the season while recovering from a knee injury. When she made it back from the injury, Gales was an off and on starter for the Golden Eagles, who were 8-8 when Gales started.

Gales’ big game came against Saint Mary’s when she came off the bench and scored 15 points. Senior year, Gales suffered an injury in the preseason and came off the bench for the Golden Eagles in all but one game that season. In her senior campaign, Gales did her damage in the Conference USA Tournament, where she came off the bench and scored 12 points.

As a player, Gales feels her best attribute that will carry over to her coaching will be her concern for the team.

“When I played, I would help the younger players get through a tough stretch of practices and games,” she said. “I would try to encourage them and not let them get discouraged.”

Seeing the game through a different shade, Gales is starting to experience what it is like to be on the coaching side of the game.

“It’s weird to be on the other side,” she said. “You see what the coaches were talking about when you were a player. I am now learning more about the game than I did before, especially game knowledge.”

Though this is her first year in a non-player role, Gales has been influenced by Mitchell and her staff.

“The coaches have really been preaching to work hard, and play with passion and heart and they set that tone early in the preseason.”

Entering their fifth season together, Mitchell is happy to have Gales back for another year.

“I just love having her here,” she said. “She’s very special to me and is a great success story of what it takes to get an awesome education and keep your feet planted.

“She believes in Marquette and she knows what it takes to play here and go to school here. She’s a great ambassador for us.”