HAMPTON, Va. — Lady Pirates head coach, David Six has always been a fiercely independent and competitive person. He's gotten Hampton off to an impressive 3-0 start in their inaugural season in the Big South. That almost didn't happen, because back in June of last year, he had a stroke.
Six was taking his wife, Angela to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland for her regular appointment to treat muscle weakness. By the time they got there, he was the one who became a patient. "Two days in ICU", he said. "The next day I couldn't use my right side".
He did some soul searching. Was he scared of what the future would be like? "On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say 100", he said. Six went through a rigorous rehab, but was ready for the Lady Pirates season opener at Florida Atlantic. "I said I was going to do this and get better."
His players like guard, Mahaley Holit knew what he was dealing with through personal experience. "My grandmother had one and she still doesn't have full control over one side of her body", she recalled. "Just to know that our head coach; our leader was down for a second, but he came back".
Six still keeps his competitive fire, but his approach at life has adjusted. "You get busy livin' and stop waiting to die".