By Jill Saftel, News Staff

In a world full of drab pantsuits, chances are Daynia La-Force will be spotted as the lady in red.

The Northeastern women’s basketball team’s head coach brings her fashion sense to the bench as she instructs her team courtside. And while the status quo for coaches is a nice pair of slacks, La-Force is doing it in an Anne Klein dress and a pair of heels.

“I’m a former athlete and we tend to be in sweats and sneakers 90 percent of the time,” La-Force said. “As a coach, I’m in sweats and sneakers all the time with a ponytail. So when I have the opportunity to get dressed up and put on some makeup, I take that opportunity.”

The seventh-year head coach says her style has evolved in her time on the court, and at first she mirrored the style of most other coaches – pantsuits, pantsuits and some more pantsuits.

But one particular high-powered woman’s style caught La-Force’s eye and has influenced her recent fashion decisions.

“I’m trying to get in touch with my inner Michelle Obama and trying to really wear the dresses in her style,” she said. “It’s a different type of style – the first year I wore pant suits, then I switched over to all skirt suits, and now I’m onto dresses.

“It’s a real inspiration to me to see her in that position and really being classy and businesslike.”

The dresses and heels might not match the stereotypical look of a female athlete, but La-Force said she’s all for any opportunity to get dressed up – as are her players who she said she’s sure are already choosing outfits for the Colonial Athletic Association banquet during their trip to Richmond, Va. for the CAA Tournament.

“Female athletes, there’s a stigma about us always looking like boys and wearing sweats and sneakers with our hair pulled back,” La-Force said. “Whenever our girls get dressed up, they look beautiful. It just shows a feminine side to us that we can balance both being an athlete and being feminine at the same time.”

And as for her players, members of the women’s basketball team are having just as much fun with their coach’s fashion as La-Force herself.

“I feel like she dresses very well. She switches it up a lot, she has a lot of different colors,” freshman forward Samantha DeFreese said.

While DeFreese is a fan of La-Force’s fashion choices, is she giving her style icon Michelle Obama a run for her money?

“I think she is,” DeFreese said. “The only thing Michelle’s got on her is the bangs.”

But don’t be fooled by the girly ensemble: La-Force is on her feet for most of every game coaching, and that can be tough in heels, so they’re the first thing to go the minute the game’s over.