Former Energee! Director Pens New Book
By By Gery Woelfel
The Journal-Times
If you had ever arrived early for a Milwaukee Bucks game at the BMO Harris Bradley Center over the last couple of decades, you couldn’t help but notice Lois Koepke.
She was constantly moving about the court, showing the intensity and fire reminiscent of a coach. In fact, she was a coach, although her official title was director of Energee!, the highly-energetic, highly entertaining dance team for the Bucks.
For 22 years before her departure two years ago, Koepke was the heart and soul behind Energee! Her almost-obsessive attention to detail and her incessant quest for perfection transformed Energee! into one of the premier dance groups in sports.
Suffice to say, Koepke has tales to tell about her life and times as the director of Energee! She’ll be sharing some of her better ones, not to mention some of her juicier ones, in a forthcoming book titled: “Lady of the Court: Behind the Scenes of NBA Entertainment.”
“I started working on this book about two years ago,” Koepke said. “People have always asked me about what was going on behind the scenes, what were our rules. I’ve been asked a whole bunch of questions and I talk about them and answer them in the book.
“I think this is an informative book; I think it’s an honest book. If you’re an NBA fan, you would be interested in reading this book. Even if you’re an average fan, in any sport, and don’t know the stuff that goes on behind the scenes, you’d be interested in this book.”
Koepke’s book touches on an array of subjects, from how dancers are selected to her strict stance on prohibiting dancers from dating NBA players — and the repercussions if they did — to delicate business and entertainment matters.
Working for a high-profile business like the NBA has its share of peaks, like meeting with the industry’s stars, and valleys, like having confrontational clashes over organizational decisions.
Koepke is quick to note much of her time working in conjunction with the Bucks and the NBA was memorable and favorable. But she also candidly concedes there were times that weren’t so pleasant.
She brings those encounters to light in the book as well.
“Ninety-five percent of the people (in the Bucks organization) were awesome to work with,” Koepke said. “I never had any issues with the majority of people there. Most of the issues that came up were handled fairly.
“At the same time, there were two big events that happened, two events that changed the court of my career and I had to write about them.”
Koepke noted how one of those events pertained to an injury suffered by one of her dancers while at practice. She didn’t divulge the other incident.
Koepke’s book is bound to draw instant attention. Just a glance at the provocative cover will arouse curiosity. It shows the back legs of a woman in nylons and cherry-red pumps with a basketball next to her.
“There are only 30 of us (dance directors in the NBA); it’s a small community,” Koepke said. “But there’s never been a book written about it. Obviously, this is from my perspective. It’s about passion, about dreams that come true and it’s about disappointment.
“I will say this: I don’t know if the Bucks organization will be happy with it or not. But I’m OK with that. What I wrote is truthful.”
