Temple University Athletics
Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University
Erica Covile: Love and Basketball
2.29.16 | Women's Basketball
For Erica Covile, basketball was something more than just an activity to do, it was a family matter – it was in her blood.
The Covile family, with nine children who all played basketball, learned to love the sport from their patriarch – Lewis Covile, Jr.
Covile, Jr. expected the best out of his children. When she was in the fifth grade, Erica joined the middle school girls' basketball team that her father coached.
After many years of playing under her father, Erica developed a very close bond with her father.
As the recruiting process crept close, Erica knew she was going to play Division-I basketball, it was just a matter of where. The Detroit, Mich. native visited multiple schools but ultimately it was her father who made the decision for her.
"[Temple] is the only visit I came on with my Dad," said Erica. "I thought I'll come here – maybe I'll make him proud. He liked the coaches, I liked the coaches – I thought it would be a good experience for me."
On Aug. 23, 2012, Lewis Covile Jr. passed away.
Erica was heartbroken. Coach Covile had become her biggest fan and mentor.
"He's the one who put the ball in my hands," said Erica. "He was my coach ever since I started playing basketball."
Although the decision to pick a school was easy, there was a lot of doubt for the then 18 year-old about whether or not to continue her basketball career.
"I didn't even want to play basketball anymore [once he passed away,]" said Erica. "I didn't get this far for nothing – I know he's watching over me and he's at my games spiritually. I knew I had to stick it out for him."
Erica's new head coach Tonya Cardoza could see the affect this tragedy played on her new freshman.
"She actually thought about giving up – her dad was her world," said Cardoza. "She just couldn't get herself out of that but her family supported her and stuck behind her. It took her a little while to accept it and now she continues to fight in his name. I think she finally got to that point and definitely has soared."
While the decision was easy for Eica, Cardoza feared that she could've lost the 6'1" guard to the University of Michigan.
"She was the number one player in that signing class for us – we had to have her," said Cardoza. "We thought it was going to be very difficult to get her away from Michigan. When she came here, she enjoyed herself and thought this was the right fit for her."
It was Associate Head Coach Way Veney who really noticed the talent in Covile, but when Cardoza went to see for herself, Erica struggled to perform.
"Coach Veney brought her to the table," said Cardoza. "She saw her a lot and felt she could be a really good three for us. Every time I went to watch Erica, she didn't play well, but I trusted Way."
In her first two seasons since arriving on North Broad Street, Erica struggled to live up to the potential.
While dealing with the loss of her father and suffering from a dislocated knee, Erica played in 46 games through her first two seasons while posting 6.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
It wasn't until her junior year that Erica had a break out season – all while playing out of position as a combo player as opposed to a true guard.
Over the last two seasons, Erica has become a leader both offensively and defensively for the Owls. Cardoza and Erica agreed that her goal every game is to get a double-double.
"If I don't get a double-double, she's on me," said Erica. "She expects that from me – I expect that from myself. It's a good feeling knowing that I have a coach that is on me like that."
Erica has come close to that goal, as she averages 10.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game; she has notched 15 double-doubles since 2014-15, the most on the team.
Even teammate and best friend junior center Safiya Martin feels that the determination and motivation for Erica is endless.
"I think it's phenomenal that she can push herself like that and expect that," said Martin. "Getting a double-double isn't easy. We all know she's a scorer, getting 10 rebounds isn't easy - crashing the boards everything single day takes a toll on you as a player."
While erica has success on the floor, she still dedicates a lot of that to her father.
"Everything I do is for [my dad,]" said Erica. "He didn't get to see one of my college games and that hurt a lot. Before every game, I think to myself 'I'm going to come out here and do what I have to do for my dad.'"
With Erica still having success after her father's passing, she explained that her new coach played a very significant role in her success both on and off the floor.
"[Coach Cardoza's] my mother, basically. When I first got here, she basically opened her arms to me," said Erica. "When my Dad passed away, she and Coach Veney were the ones who came to the funeral. They came to my house, my high school games, everything. They wanted me and I wanted to be here."
The eighth-year coach echoed the statements of her senior.
"She is a lot like me in so many ways," said Cardoza. "When I was her age I was very shy and not very vocal. But it started when someone came up to me and asked if she was my daughter, saying we looked alike."
"She has grown into a woman that I am extremely proud of – she's like a daughter to me," Cardoza continued. "I promised her parents that I would take care of her as if she was my own. She's never caused a problem ever, and that is definitely a first. At the end of the day she's just really special to me."
Martin recognizes the relationship between the two and explains how fascinating that is to see.
"That's her second mother. Coach is like a mother to all of us, but they share a special bond," said Martin. "It is a genuine-loving relationship. To see that between a coach and a player, that melts your heart – especially when I was a freshman coming in."
After learning the ways of "motherhood" from her coach, Erica has instilled a little bit of that mother mentality in herself, according to her teammates.
"She's like a mother figure to us and she leads by example," said. Martin. "She will pull you to the side and explain what we need to get done. She'll give you that slap on the back saying it is going to be ok and pick you up."
Cardoza recognized the importance of Erica's leadership as well and feels that without Erica, things are a lot different on the floor.
"Erica is a leader who leads by example," said Cardoza. "She will pull someone aside and tell them one on one what they need to do. Her biggest role is on the defensive side – making sure guys know what they are doing and how to defend. We talk about it all the time, when Erica is not on the floor and we lose games, it's usually because she's gotten in foul trouble and now our defense is not as good."
After being asked where Erica stands in terms of all the players she has ever coached at Temple, without hesitation, Cardoza said that she was near the top.
"Erica is definitely one of the top players I have coached at Temple," said Cardoza "I've been here for eight years and for her to do the things that she's done – especially the last two years – playing out of position, she's been able to thrive. She's definitely one of the top players that I have recruited here."
"She's been a kid that just works hard," Cardoza continued. "She never causes any problems. She's played out of position the past two years and never complained about it. She's going to go down as one of the top 10 Temple rebounders at only six foot – she's a player we could just count on game in and game out."
Once she finally puts the ball down at Temple, Erica doesn't plan on that being her final stint on the hardwood. When asked if she wanted to continue her career professionally or overseas, Erica answered without hesitation, "Of course! I'm not ready to put the ball down yet."
Heading into senior night against UCF, Erica needs just five points to become the 23rd player in Temple Women's Basketball history to score 1,000 points in a career. If she can corral three rebounds, she will bump her total to 750 for a career, ranking ninth in Owls history.
If Erica hits these milestones, she will become the seventh player in program history with 1,000 points and 750 rebounds. Covile would also ink herself as just the fourth player to add 150 career steals to those totals as she currently has 177.
Erica will play her final home game for the Owls tonight against UCF. After that, Temple will head to the American Athletic Conference Tournament from March 4-7.
The Covile family, with nine children who all played basketball, learned to love the sport from their patriarch – Lewis Covile, Jr.
Covile, Jr. expected the best out of his children. When she was in the fifth grade, Erica joined the middle school girls' basketball team that her father coached.
After many years of playing under her father, Erica developed a very close bond with her father.
As the recruiting process crept close, Erica knew she was going to play Division-I basketball, it was just a matter of where. The Detroit, Mich. native visited multiple schools but ultimately it was her father who made the decision for her.
"[Temple] is the only visit I came on with my Dad," said Erica. "I thought I'll come here – maybe I'll make him proud. He liked the coaches, I liked the coaches – I thought it would be a good experience for me."
On Aug. 23, 2012, Lewis Covile Jr. passed away.
Erica was heartbroken. Coach Covile had become her biggest fan and mentor.
"He's the one who put the ball in my hands," said Erica. "He was my coach ever since I started playing basketball."
Although the decision to pick a school was easy, there was a lot of doubt for the then 18 year-old about whether or not to continue her basketball career.
"I didn't even want to play basketball anymore [once he passed away,]" said Erica. "I didn't get this far for nothing – I know he's watching over me and he's at my games spiritually. I knew I had to stick it out for him."
Erica's new head coach Tonya Cardoza could see the affect this tragedy played on her new freshman.
"She actually thought about giving up – her dad was her world," said Cardoza. "She just couldn't get herself out of that but her family supported her and stuck behind her. It took her a little while to accept it and now she continues to fight in his name. I think she finally got to that point and definitely has soared."
While the decision was easy for Eica, Cardoza feared that she could've lost the 6'1" guard to the University of Michigan.
"She was the number one player in that signing class for us – we had to have her," said Cardoza. "We thought it was going to be very difficult to get her away from Michigan. When she came here, she enjoyed herself and thought this was the right fit for her."
It was Associate Head Coach Way Veney who really noticed the talent in Covile, but when Cardoza went to see for herself, Erica struggled to perform.
"Coach Veney brought her to the table," said Cardoza. "She saw her a lot and felt she could be a really good three for us. Every time I went to watch Erica, she didn't play well, but I trusted Way."
In her first two seasons since arriving on North Broad Street, Erica struggled to live up to the potential.
While dealing with the loss of her father and suffering from a dislocated knee, Erica played in 46 games through her first two seasons while posting 6.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
It wasn't until her junior year that Erica had a break out season – all while playing out of position as a combo player as opposed to a true guard.
Over the last two seasons, Erica has become a leader both offensively and defensively for the Owls. Cardoza and Erica agreed that her goal every game is to get a double-double.
"If I don't get a double-double, she's on me," said Erica. "She expects that from me – I expect that from myself. It's a good feeling knowing that I have a coach that is on me like that."
Erica has come close to that goal, as she averages 10.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game; she has notched 15 double-doubles since 2014-15, the most on the team.
Even teammate and best friend junior center Safiya Martin feels that the determination and motivation for Erica is endless.
"I think it's phenomenal that she can push herself like that and expect that," said Martin. "Getting a double-double isn't easy. We all know she's a scorer, getting 10 rebounds isn't easy - crashing the boards everything single day takes a toll on you as a player."
While erica has success on the floor, she still dedicates a lot of that to her father.
"Everything I do is for [my dad,]" said Erica. "He didn't get to see one of my college games and that hurt a lot. Before every game, I think to myself 'I'm going to come out here and do what I have to do for my dad.'"
With Erica still having success after her father's passing, she explained that her new coach played a very significant role in her success both on and off the floor.
"[Coach Cardoza's] my mother, basically. When I first got here, she basically opened her arms to me," said Erica. "When my Dad passed away, she and Coach Veney were the ones who came to the funeral. They came to my house, my high school games, everything. They wanted me and I wanted to be here."
The eighth-year coach echoed the statements of her senior.
"She is a lot like me in so many ways," said Cardoza. "When I was her age I was very shy and not very vocal. But it started when someone came up to me and asked if she was my daughter, saying we looked alike."
"She has grown into a woman that I am extremely proud of – she's like a daughter to me," Cardoza continued. "I promised her parents that I would take care of her as if she was my own. She's never caused a problem ever, and that is definitely a first. At the end of the day she's just really special to me."
Martin recognizes the relationship between the two and explains how fascinating that is to see.
"That's her second mother. Coach is like a mother to all of us, but they share a special bond," said Martin. "It is a genuine-loving relationship. To see that between a coach and a player, that melts your heart – especially when I was a freshman coming in."
After learning the ways of "motherhood" from her coach, Erica has instilled a little bit of that mother mentality in herself, according to her teammates.
"She's like a mother figure to us and she leads by example," said. Martin. "She will pull you to the side and explain what we need to get done. She'll give you that slap on the back saying it is going to be ok and pick you up."
Cardoza recognized the importance of Erica's leadership as well and feels that without Erica, things are a lot different on the floor.
"Erica is a leader who leads by example," said Cardoza. "She will pull someone aside and tell them one on one what they need to do. Her biggest role is on the defensive side – making sure guys know what they are doing and how to defend. We talk about it all the time, when Erica is not on the floor and we lose games, it's usually because she's gotten in foul trouble and now our defense is not as good."
After being asked where Erica stands in terms of all the players she has ever coached at Temple, without hesitation, Cardoza said that she was near the top.
"Erica is definitely one of the top players I have coached at Temple," said Cardoza "I've been here for eight years and for her to do the things that she's done – especially the last two years – playing out of position, she's been able to thrive. She's definitely one of the top players that I have recruited here."
"She's been a kid that just works hard," Cardoza continued. "She never causes any problems. She's played out of position the past two years and never complained about it. She's going to go down as one of the top 10 Temple rebounders at only six foot – she's a player we could just count on game in and game out."
Once she finally puts the ball down at Temple, Erica doesn't plan on that being her final stint on the hardwood. When asked if she wanted to continue her career professionally or overseas, Erica answered without hesitation, "Of course! I'm not ready to put the ball down yet."
Heading into senior night against UCF, Erica needs just five points to become the 23rd player in Temple Women's Basketball history to score 1,000 points in a career. If she can corral three rebounds, she will bump her total to 750 for a career, ranking ninth in Owls history.
If Erica hits these milestones, she will become the seventh player in program history with 1,000 points and 750 rebounds. Covile would also ink herself as just the fourth player to add 150 career steals to those totals as she currently has 177.
Erica will play her final home game for the Owls tonight against UCF. After that, Temple will head to the American Athletic Conference Tournament from March 4-7.
Players Mentioned
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