Eastern’s newest head coaching candidate only has one definition of success.

“Win,” Blair Savage-Lansden, assistant women’s basketball coach at Belmont said. “Winning could happen here next year.”

Savage-Lansden made many promises to the highly-attended open meeting as she talked about the importance of combining academic success with wins on the Lantz Arena floor.

“We will graduate every player that comes through the program,” Savage-Lansden said. “With the players we have we can vie for an Ohio Valley Conference Championship.”

Savage-Lansden spent last season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with Belmont University located in Tennessee, a state which has four schools in the OVC. She maintained her belief that she could recruit in the Volunteer State for the Eastern program.

“I’d like to get into there and snake some kids out of there with those contacts I have in Tennessee because those small towns there have a lot of good players,” Savage-Lansden said.

When asked about her recruiting tactics, she used a bold example of what she might say to that potential recruit.

“I would like to look that young lady in the eyes and say, we are going to win a national championship here and you have a choice. You can either win it with us or get beat by us and have your season end,” Savage-Lansden said.

Savage-Lansden is still considered arguably one of the best players in Arkansas women’s basketball history as her name can be found in the record books in that state. Prior to the 2003-2004 season, she still ranked among the Razorbacks all-time leaders in four categories (17th in points, third in rebounds, 11th in assists and 10th in blocked shots). Also, in 2001, she was named to the Lady Razorback Silver Anniversary Team. She stated that her playing career might be essentially helpful to her as a head coach at Eastern.

“I think that being a player before, I will be able to relate to the players now,” Savage-Lansden said. “My door will always be open to them because this age is always difficult.”

Savage-Landsen has a style of play that is very familiar to Panther fans by watching men’s basketball and head coach Rick Samuels’ style.

“I like to focus on defense which will be half court man-to-man,” Savage-Lansden said. “Our defense will generate our offense which will be the motion-style but I can guarantee that it won’t be like watching that paint dry.”

After finishing with a disappointing season under former head coach Linda Wunder, Savage-Lansden made very sure that her team would have a completely different mindset by next season.

“I can tell confidence is an issue with this team and the mentality of winning needs to happen immediately,” Savage-Lansden said.

The only problem that Eastern’s third candidate admitted she still has, could still be interpreted as a positive.

“I have a fear of failure, that has made me a perfectionist which is the attitude I would bring to this position,” Savage-Lansden said.