DoBee Plaisance, Nicholls' head women's basketball coach, possesses a ring from her team's 2018 Southland Conference Tournament Championship victory, but the ring she chooses to wear every day is one engraved with the birth dates of her son and daughter.

DoBee's children, Theresa and Scott Jr., gifted her the ring several Christmases ago. For the mother and full-time coach, that ring is a way to stay connected to her family as they all pursue their basketball careers around the world.

It is no secret that basketball runs in the Plaisance family's veins. DoBee played in college for four years before coaching in various capacities at Southern Mississippi, Tulane, St. Martin Episcopal High School, Loyola and now Nicholls. 

Scott played at both the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the University of New Orleans before signing a professional contract with the Spanish League. 

The Tulsa Shock drafted Theresa in the 2014 WNBA draft following her All-Southeastern Conference career at LSU. She has since been a part of the Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun, which is currently playing in the 2019 WNBA Finals. 

The series is tied a 1-1 after the Sun picked up a crucial win on the road, 99-87, against the Washington Mystics in Game 2 last Tuesday. Connecticut will host the next two contests, starting with Game 3 Sunday at 2:30 central on ABC. 

For DoBee, watching her daughter compete at the highest level of basketball has been a humbling experience. 

"I'm humbled by how she does it...For her now to be playing at the highest level, playing for the world championship, I give all the glory to God," DoBee said.

There have been three moments in Theresa's basketball career that have stood out the most to DoBee: Theresa's turnaround during her junior season at LSU that propelled her to become the SEC's scoring leader, when she made the USA basketball team, and when the Shock drafted her and she remained on the roster.

DoBee believes that WNBA teams have the hardest professional rosters to make, as there are only 12 teams with 12 players on each team. She said the league gives female basketball players like Theresa a real next-level opportunity after college and allows them to remain and play in the U.S.

While DoBee feels she had an influence on her daughter's decision to play basketball, she said she never forced her children into sports. They ultimately chose their own path. When Theresa was much younger, DoBee was not convinced that she would even choose to play basketball.

She realized during Theresa's eighth grade year at Vandebilt Catholic High School that her daughter had the potential to compete in the WNBA one day. Theresa began receiving weekly letters from some of the top universities in the country, some of which came from DoBee's own role models in basketball. 

Throughout Theresa's recruiting process, DoBee made it clear that she did not want her daughter playing for her at Nicholls. Her reservations were not about the university but about their relationship and the resulting narrative it would create. 

"It's not about Nicholls, it's about her playing for me. I wanted wherever Theresa to go for whatever she achieved, it was about Theresa, and the only part of the narrative that I was her mom, and I was adamant about that," DoBee said. 

DoBee and her daughter did end up getting a chance to share the court in Stopher Gymnasium, though. 

In November of 2010, Nicholls faced LSU in a home matchup while Theresa was on the Tigers' roster. The game marked the first time that LSU's women's basketball team would play in Thibodaux and the first time in Nicholls history that a mother and daughter would compete against one another on the court. 

For DoBee, the experience was "awful." 

"It didn't hit me until I read the scouting report, so when I'm putting together the scouting report and I'm looking at film, I said, no, there's something wrong with this picture. A mom doesn't look at film and figure out how to stop her child," DoBee said. 

After the game, she swore that Nicholls would not face LSU again as long as Theresa was there, and her request was granted. 

Balancing motherhood with a full-time coaching job is nothing foreign to DoBee, who finds a medium between watching her daughter play and coaching her own team. She compared it to a juggling act, which runs smoothly as long as nothing is dropped. 

DoBee also credits her Christian faith as the force that helps her to find that balance.

"Everything is going to be ok regardless, I can't put these expectations on myself," DoBee said. "I am a strong woman of faith, and I know that the Lord will always provide a way."

She has sought to instill that same faith in her children, reminding them that their successes come from God. She has three guidelines by which she asks her children and players alike to abide on the court: play hard, play smart and take God with them.

At the end of every conversation, she makes it a point to tell her children that she loves them and to remind them that everything is going to be fine. 

"Even if they don't have the great game, if they did those three things... there are lessons God wants us to learn, and that's how we demonstrate our faith," DoBee said. 

DoBee described the bond she shares with her family through basketball as a tremendous opportunity that also makes conversations easy. Their shared experiences have allowed them to grow together and work through the highs, lows, and emotions that come with playing sports.

"Like with my team, I've always held both of my kids to very high standards and highly accountable for everything, like don't come at me with excuses. We'll figure this out, and you'll get it done," DoBee said. 

Every parent hopes to inspire their children in some way. For DoBee, she has been inspired by her children in return.

She said that Theresa and Scott's selflessness inspires her to be both a better mother and a better role model, and it makes her want to act as a mother to her players as well.

DoBee also draws inspiration from the fact that her children are living their dreams of being professional athletes. 

"How inspiring is that to me as a mother... My own kids are living their dreams. Well, come on DoBee, live your dreams," DoBee said.