usc women's basketball

Transcription

1 usc women's basketball

2 Coaching Staff head coach michael cooper 1st season overall new mexico 1978 Michael Cooper has starred on the court as a legendary player and on the sidelines as a highly successful coach, as he brings a wealth of experience to Troy in his first season as the head coach of the USC women s basketball program. He steps into his role at USC after finishing his eighth season as head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks, which won five Western Conference championships during Cooper s time there. I m very honored to have this opportunity to coach at a great university with such a rich tradition in women s basketball. My philosophy has always been about winning championships, and at USC we want to do that as well as graduate our players and make sure they enjoy their basketball experience. I m looking forward to working in a collegiate atmosphere and all that comes with it. Cooper replaces Mark Trakh, who resigned as head coach after five seasons at USC. Cooper now becomes the eighth head coach for the Women of Troy since Cooper comes to USC after spending eight seasons ( , ) as the head coach of the WNBA s Los Angeles Sparks. Cooper has compiled a (.669) regularseason record, plus (.667) in the postseason. He won five Western Conference titles and guided the Sparks into the WNBA playoffs six times, winning the WNBA Championship in 2001 and 2002 (and finishing as runner-up in 2003). He was the 2000 WNBA Coach of the Year in his debut season. Cooper served as a special assistant to Lakers general manager Jerry West for three years before joining the Lakers coaching staff for four seasons ( ). He returned to the NBA in 2005 as an assistant with the Denver Nuggets, including a stint as interim head coach. He then became the head coach of the NBA Development League s Albuquerque Thunderbirds for two seasons ( ), winning the NBA D-League Championship in 2006 and posting a (.510) regular-season record. Cooper had a 12-year ( ) playing career with the Showtime Lakers and was a member of five NBA Championship teams ( ). Known for his defensive prowess, he made the NBA All-Defensive Team eight times and was the NBA s Defensive Player of the Year in He finished ranked in the Lakers Top 10 in 3-point field goals (428), games played (873), minutes played (23,635), steals (1,033), blocked shots (523), assists (3,666), defensive rebounds (2,028) and free-throw percentage (.833). He played professionally in Italy in 1991 with Pallacanestro Virtus Roma. He attended Pasadena (Calif.) High and then Pasadena City College before starring at New Mexico, where he made the All-Western Athletic Conference first team as a senior in He was selected to the Lobo Hall of Honor in Active in the community, he was presented with the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1986 by the Pro Basketball Writer s Association and the Commitment to Excellence Award during the 2007 Los Angeles Sports Fans Choice Awards. Born April 15, 1956, Cooper has four children: Michael II, 28, Simone, 24, Miles, 19, and Nils, THE COOPER FILE First season at USC HEAD COACH 8 seasons with L.A. Sparks (WNBA) ( reg. season / postseason) 5 Western Conference Titles 2 WNBA Championships (2001 & 2002) 2000 WNBA Coach of the Year 2 seasons with Albuquerque Thunderbirds (NBA Development League) ASSISTANT COACH 4 seasons with L.A. Lakers (NBA) 1 season with Denver Nuggets (NBA) PLAYER 12 years with L.A. Lakers (NBA) 5 National Championships 1987 NCAA Defensive Player of the Year 8-time NBA All-Defensive Team

3 Coaching Staff ervin monier st. mary s (texas) 1985 Ervin Monier enters his first season at USC as the Trojans associate head coach and is at the helm of the USC program while Michael Cooper finishes out the WNBA season as the head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks. High in Los Angeles in 1999, then at Chadwick High on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in He also taught at the middle school and high school levels in the Los Angeles Unified School District during that time. Monier comes to Troy after five seasons ( ) as the associate head coach at Rhode Island, where he also served as the recruiting coordinator. Before that, he was an assistant for Dawn Staley for four seasons ( ) at Temple, helping the Owls to a pair of Atlantic 10 titles and three postseason berths. At Temple, he recruited a pair of WNBA first-round picks (Candice Dupree and Kamesha Hairston). Monier played at St. Martin DePorres High in Detroit, Mich., and went on to play at Los Angeles Trade Technical College and St. Mary s in San Antonio, Tex., where he earned a bachelor s degree in English in He played and coached in the NBA-sponsored Los Angeles Summer League from 1989 to He is single. Monier began his coaching career as an assistant at Hawthorne (Calif.) High for six years ( ), then moved to Los Angeles Southwest College for five years ( ). He became an assistant at Washington Prep I m excited to get back to the West Coast and help USC restore its tradition of successful women s basketball, said Monier. I ve been fortunate to work with some great coaches like Dawn Staley and Tom Garrick. Now, I get a similar opportunity to join with Michael Cooper USC Women s Basketball Media Guide 45 associate head coach

4 Coaching Staff assistant coach kelley gibson maryland 1999 south carolina aiken 2002 Kelley Gibson enters her first season as a member of the USC coaching staff after spending two seasons as an assistant at Maine. where she worked for two seasons as an assistant after spending a year at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and one as a graduate assistant coach at American University in Washington, D.C. During her time at UMBC, Gibson helped push the Retrievers to their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth as the America East Tournament champions. Mary Wooley comes to USC for her first season on the Trojan coaching staff following three seasons as the director of basketball operations at Temple. Prior to her director position with the Owls, Wooley was the program s graduate assistant for three seasons while pursuing a master s of education in counseling psychology, finishing that degree in While at Temple, Wooley was heavily involved in the planning and operation of the Dawn Staley Basketball Camp and Academy. As a player, Wooley competed for four seasons at South Carolina Aiken, serving as team captain and winning one conference 46 As a player, Gibson was an all-conference player at Maryland. She earned ACC honorable mention in 1999 and was on the 1996 ACC All-Rookie Team, despite enduring three ACL injuries during her career. She remains in the school s record books among the leaders in 3-pointers, assists, steals and blocks. Gibson graduated from Maryland in 1999 with a degree in kinesiology before moving into the pro ranks. Gibson played internationally in Russia and in Israel and also had a successful WNBA career with the Houston Comets. A Comet from , Gibson helped win the 2000 WNBA championship and ranked in the top- 10 on Houston s all-time games played chart. In 2003, she was awarded the WNBA s Off- Season Community Assist Award for her work throughout local communities. Gibson played in high school at Easton (Md.) High, where she won two state championships. She had her jersey retired after setting the school record for career points (2,200) and rebounds (1,008), and she has a street named in her honor in her hometown of Easton. Gibson is a member of the WBCA and the Black Coaches Association. assistant coach mary wooley championship and back-to-back Northern Division titles. Also as a Pacer, Wooley helped her team to the program s first-ever NCAA Division II appearance. Wooley currently is in the dissertation stage of her PhD in kinesiology, specializing in exercise and sport psychology.

5 Support Staff director of operations courtney robinson kutztown univ NIkkI whitman Head Women s Basketball Student Support Staff christie lee Courtney Robinson enters her first season as the director of operations for USC women s basketball, coming to the program after spending one season as a men s basketball assistant coach at Daytona State College, where she was the first female to coach men s basketball at the school. She has six years of coaching experience, primarily working with guards. As a women s assistant at Stetson University in , Robinson helped develop an All-Freshman Team guard in the Atlantic Sun Conference and at Coatesville High School in Pennsylvania, she coached a McDonald s All-American point guard who currently plays Division I basketball. Robinson also spent one year as a girls high school assistant coach at Cedar Ridge High in North Carolina and two years as a high school video coordinator alex delanian 2nd season at usc USc 2007 Alex Delanian enters his second season as the USC s video coordinator after spending two years with the team s male practice squad. His responsibilities include film exchange, editing, video breakdown and handling all on-site video needs during team travel. Prior to spending the last year as a sportswriter for The Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J., he earned his bachelor s degree in Print Journalism with a minor in Cinema-Television at USC. While a venus lee marissa main Kiara morrison 47 head coach at Coatesville High, where the team recorded a 24-7 record in her first year. Robinson also served as an assistant coach at Goldey-Beacom College in Wilmington, Del., for the season. When injuries cut into the roster, Robinson joined the team as a player-coach starting in December. She spent the remainder of the season balancing duties as a high school Spanish teacher at Coatesville High with Goldey-Beacom practice, followed by her own graduate school studies in evening classes. A native of Penndel, Penn., Robinson earned her bachelor s degree in secondary education/ Spanish from Kutztown University in 2003 and currently is finishing her master s in sports management from the U.S. Sports Academy in Daphne, Ala. member of the practice squad, Delanian worked primarily with the team s post players, including Chloé Kerr and Nadia Parker. In high school, he was a three-year athlete in basketball and volleyball at School Of The Future in New York, N.Y., and was named team MVP. Delanian is currently pursuing a master s degree in communication management. Born on Dec.19, 1985 at USC Medical Center, he currently lives in Los Angeles. saphia raymond

6 Support Staff Rosa Andrade Athletic Ticket Manager ryan maier Game Management Donna heinel Admissions Coordinator Noel Ragsdale Faculty Athletic Representative DARCY COUCH Sports Information Monica Morita Student-Athlete Support Services Coordinator Craig Kelley Director of Marketing david scott Equipment Manager Carol Dougherty Sr. Assoc. Athletic Director/ Sr. Women s Administrator Sandy Olsen Athletic Trainer 48 daryl lundy IT Coordinator Teresa Verbeck Asst. Athletic Director/ Development Ebony Hall Administrative Assistant TONI Van Eck Academic Advisor