VC players return home to honor Kim Guidry

Former and current players, their families, and the VC community gathered in Kim Guidry Gym Saturday night to pay homage to the gym’s namesake, Lady Eagles’ head coach Kim “Gidge” Guidry, who’s retiring after 40 years at the helm.
Former player and current assistant coach and former player, Hollie Nelms Trahan, spoke first, officiated the event, and helped plan it. She admitted that until Guidry walked through the doors, they weren’t 100 percent sure she was going to show up.
“If you know Gidge, you know that this is the last place she wants to be,” Trahan said as the crowd roared with laughter.
“When I first told her we were doing this, she said I’m not coming. Two weeks ago, she told me she was on the fence. So, I want to thank all of you for being here tonight, but I especially want to thank you, Gidge.”
From 1985-2025, Guidry won 936 games, made nine Sweet 16 appearances, finished state runner-up twice, and won two state championships.
Those stats make Guidry one of the winningest high school girls basketball coaches in state history. But according to Nelms, it was more about building quality people.
“It was never always about the wins for Gidge,” Trahan continued. “I respected her as my coach, but quite honestly, she scared the bejeezus out of me. Coaching alongside her the last two years, I respect her so much more because of her commitment to her players having accountability and character.”
Former player (2006-2010), former assistant coach (2012), and Guidry’s niece, Lacy Dennies followed Trahan. She spoke about Guidry’s commitment to Vermilion Catholic and the impression she made on so many people’s lives. Then she explained who Guidry is to her, her Nana.
“She’s always been the biggest force in the smallest body,” Dennies said. “She’s always been the

definition of strength. Not only in the challenges she’s overcome but in the way she always carried herself. I’ve never seen her face an obstacle without grace. From her I learned to be the person I am today, someone who stands strong in my beliefs.
“I grew up watching her coach and patiently awaited the time I could be a Lady Eagle and be under her guidance and leadership. When that day finally came, I was so overwhelmed by the emotion, but also, the amount of running.”
Former player and assistant coach for the past 24 years, Angela Dubois Gallet talked about how it was to play for Gidge. She remembered how tough it was trying to do suicides, box jumps, line hops, ladder drills, stadiums, and distance running. She also remembered what it taught her.
“Those drills caused plenty of knee scrapes and shin gashes for me,” Gallet said. “But it all taught me and my teammates that if you work hard and put in effort for yourself and your team, you will be rewarded. Gidge used the game of basketball to teach us life lessons.”
Allyson Marceaux played for VC in the early nineties and was part of Guidry’s first Sweet 16 team in 1990-91. The Lady Eagles were riding high heading into their matchup with Oak Grove in Alexandria but lost 57-48.
“We were devastated,” Marceaux said. In true Gidge fashion, she comforted us and focused on what we were able to accomplish that year. History had been made.”
Ellen Eldridge was a member of the 1999 state championship team. Her claims to fame are playing 32 seconds in the championship game and being the funniest ninth-man in VC history.
“I’m so pumped to be here to celebrate Gidge,” Eldridge said. “Her servant’s heart created in us a love of the game. We still love it very much. I still play some, mostly while I wait for the bus. I try to be like Brooke Williams and swat my son’s shot into the grass.
“We had to run a mile on limestone in under 12 minutes. We didn’t want to do that, Gidge. But more so, we didn’t want to let you down and each other down. The whole idea of doing things you don’t want to do for the good of others builds virtue. You taught us virtue through the game and made us better.”
Rillee Guidry tore her ACL in the preseason her senior year. All her hopes and dreams for her final year were over, but Guidry didn’t let that be the end of her story.
“Gidge pushed me to train, show up, and contribute in every way that I could,” Guidry said, holding back tears. “I wasn’t able to help physically, but she made sure I knew my role as a leader and as a teammate was just as important.
“That kind of faith, believing in a player when they can’t help on the court, defines who Gidge is. She didn’t just coach the player; she coached the person.”
Lexi Venable played shooting guard for the Lady Eagles from 2012-2015. She was a member of the 2013 state championship team and a member of the 2015 state runner-up team.
“I didn’t know anything about Gidge when I got to high school,” Venable said. “The first thing I learned about her was that she’d get so angry at her players, she’d throw the locker room door open and dented the cinder block wall. I was terrified.
“My junior year I was the sixth or seventh man. I was so scared to be on that court,” Venable said. “I practiced and played scared. Gidge never gave up on me. By my senior year, I had confidence in my game. That wouldn’t have happened without her confidence in me.”
St. Thomas More head coach Danny Broussard came straight from the state championship game, which the Cougars lost.
“I’m a terrible loser,” Broussard said. “My wife said do you really want to go? I said I have to go. That’s my girl. I need to pay tribute to someone so wonderful who’s done so much for her community.”
After hearing the positive impact she’s had on so many people’s lives, Guidry gave the credit to God.
“I have to give that to God,” Guidry said. “Hopefully, He works through me to do His will. I’m humble. I didn’t play one minute of any game. It’s not me. It’s the girls.”
Even though Guidry’s days of patrolling the sidelines are over, she’ll still be teaching at VC. She’s not quite ready to leave the place she’s called home for 40 years.
“I’m going to stay and teach at least another year,” Guidry said. “I enjoy what I do. I just don’t have the energy to do it for 14 hours a day.”