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Deont'a McChester Named Assistant Women's Basketball Coach at Tennessee State - 23 hours ago

Tennessee State University head coach Jessica Kern has announced the hiring of Deonta McChester as an assistant coach for the women's basketball program. 'Coach Deonta McChester brings head coaching experience to what already has proven to be a dynamic staff,' said Kern. 'He brings us head coaching experience, a proven ability to recruit, a go-getter mentality, and understands all aspects needed to make a program function successfully. With a pipeline to midwest and southern connections, we are beyond lucky to have him join the women's basketball family." Deonta McChester comes to Tennessee State from Division II Claflin University where he served as the head women's basketball coach for four years. Prior to taking over the reign of the Lady Panthers in 2013, Deonta McChester was the head assistant and recruiting coordinator for one season (2012-13). Deonta McChester 's impact was felt immediately, as he helped put together one of the best recruiting classes (2013-14) in school history. His success carried over into his first year at the helm, as Claflin increased its win total by eight games from the previous season. In 2015-16, Deonta McChester led the Lady Panthers to a 17-11 record and third place finish in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Eastern Division, which included a victory over the #15 ranked team in the country Benedict College. His 2015-16 team had the honor of earning the SIAC highest team GPA award for women's basketball as well as Claflin Athletics top academic award. The team also earned the top academic award the following season. During his time at Claflin, Deonta McChester signed five NJCAA JUCO All-Americans, one player who recently signed a professional overseas contract and three all-conference players. Prior to his stint with Claflin, Deonta McChester spent three seasons with the Flint Lady Monarchs (formerly Flint Lady Flames) organization of the Women's Blue Chip Basketball League (WBCBL), which consist of semi-pro basketball teams. He joined the then Lady Flames in 2010 as an assistant coach and midway thru the season was promoted to the associate head coach position. In that same year, he helped the Lady Flames upset the number one team in the country en route to capturing its first ever Northeast Region Tournament Championship, which earned them a berth in the WBCBL National Tournament. In the following season, Deonta McChester was promoted to head coach of the Lady Monarchs and led his team to its second straight Northeast Region Tournament Title. For his efforts, he earned the 2011 Northeast Region Coach of the Year and was voted the Co-Coach of the Year in the same region in 2012. In Deonta McChester 's three years as a coach with the Lady Monarchs, he coached a total of 14 professional players. Deonta McChester began his collegiate coaching career in 2007-08 as a men's basketball assistant at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C.. He then moved to Winston-Salem, N.C. where he spent one season (2008-09) as the director of basketball operations for Winston Salem State University (WSSU). He spent the next two seasons (2009-2011) as an assistant at SUNY-Cobleskill. A native of Flint, Mich., Deonta McChester earned his bachelor's degree in business management (sports management) in 2007 from Keuka College in Parky, N.Y. In June 2014, Deonta McChester participated in The Center for Coaching Excellence presented by the WBCA in partnership with Columbia University Athletics, which is designed to provide college women's basketball coaches with comprehensive leadership development. Deonta McChester served as chairman of the SIAC Women's Basketball Coaches Association from 2014-17 and was a member of the NCAA South Regional Committee for two years (2015-17). In 2017, he was the NCAA South Region REP for the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Courtesy of: tsutigers.com

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Christal
Caldwell

Caldwell Returns to WVU as Assistant Coach - 2 days ago

West Virginia University women's basketball coach Mike Carey announced the hiring of former Mountaineer student-athlete Christal Caldwell (5'9''-G/F-90, college: W.Virginia) as an assistant coach on Thursday. Caldwell has spent the last two seasons at La Salle. She is the first Mountaineer student-athlete to play under coach Mike Carey and return to Morgantown as an assistant coach. 'We are very excited to have Christal return to West Virginia University,' Carey stated. 'She brings a unique perspective to our staff because she knows what it takes to be a Mountaineer. Christal has shown tremendous growth as a young up-and-coming coach and I know she'll do great things here at WVU. We are looking forward to having her back in Morgantown.' 'I want to thank Coach Carey for this opportunity,' Caldwell said. 'There is no greater feeling than knowing that I will be coming back to my alma mater and that I will be in a position to help continue the success of our women's basketball program. Having played at WVU and under Coach Carey, the love I have for the University is indescribable. I'm so excited to get started and do what I love, which is to develop young women and help them grow on and off the basketball court. It's true when they say, 'once a Mountaineer, always a Mountaineer.' Most recently, Caldwell served as an assistant coach for the Explorers who saw an incredible turnaround in 2016-17. La Salle finished the campaign with 17 victories, 12 more than the previous season. As the guards coach, Caldwell guided two Explorers to conference honors, including league scoring leader Amy Griffin to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team and Jasmine Alston to the A-10 All-Defensive Team. Additionally, Griffin led the Philadelphia Big 5 in scoring and was a Philadelphia All-Big 5 First Team honoree in 2017. Also under Caldwell's guidance, Adreana Miller led the Big 5 in free throw percentage. Caldwell worked in implementing team programs and assessing strength and weaknesses for each student-athlete. Additionally, she served as the coach liaison between academic services, compliance, marketing, equipment and facilities. In 2015-16, Caldwell served as the director of operations at La Salle. She was responsible for managing the team's business affairs, coordinating travel and practice times as well as organizing and managing the team budget. In her two seasons, Caldwell helped guide Amy Griffin to the Atlantic 10 scoring title (17.7 points per game) and a third team Atlantic 10 All-Conference selection last season. Meanwhile, Micahya Owens averaged 13.4 points per game last season and became the 24th Explorer to score 1,000 career points under the tutelage of Caldwell. Caldwell joined the Explorers in 2015 after spending the previous two summers as the head camp counselor for various women's basketball camps in the Charlotte area. As head camp counselor, Caldwell designed training activities and led group activities for camp participants. After a decorated career as a guard at West Virginia, Caldwell played professionally for FIBA's Sepsi SIC in Romania. The Charlotte native was a four-year letterwinner for the Mountaineers, scoring 1,246 career points on the way to All-Big East Honorable Mention as a sophomore and All-Big 12 First Team honors as a junior. Caldwell also led WVU to a Big 12 Conference title in 2014, the first regular-season conference title for the Mountaineers since 1992. Caldwell earned a degree in psychology from West Virginia, where she also minored in child development and communications.
Courtesy of: msnsportsnet.com

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Bridgette
Gordon

Bridgette Gordon joins Lady Vol staff - 2 days ago

Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Bridgette Gordon , who helped Tennessee capture two of its eight NCAA titles in the sport as a student-athlete, has returned to her alma mater as an assistant, UT Head Coach Holly Warlick announced on Thursday. Gordon, a 1988 U.S. Olympic gold medalist, comes to Rocky Top from Wichita State, where she spent seven seasons, including the last three as the recruiting coordinator. Gordon, who served as associate head coach a year ago, helped WSU land the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history when Blue Star Basketball rated the 2012-13 signing group at No. 47 in the nation. In addition to her work as a gifted recruiter, Gordon helped the Shockers make their first three appearances ever in the NCAA Tournament while capturing the program's first three regular- and post-season conference championships. The Shockers advanced to postseason play five times during her stint in Wichita. "Though there was urgency to fill this position, I took my time and turned over every stone to find the best fit for this program," Warlick said. "Bridgette checks all the boxes in terms of who I wanted. I am so excited to welcome her back to Tennessee as a member of our staff." "Everyone we visited with about Bridgette spoke highly of her reputation as a coach and person. She has great relationships with her players, college administrators, AAU and high school coaches, university donors and the community. One veteran college athletics administrator told us 'the game needs Bridgette Gordon in it.'" "Bridgette is not only a fantastic recruiter, but she also is an experienced floor coach who holds players accountable. She has a great love for Tennessee, coaches with passion, cares about people, embodies loyalty and is invested in the history and future of this program. I can't wait to hit the ground running with Bridgette on our staff." Gordon, who has 14 years of experience in the coaching ranks and another as a WNBA scout, expressed her joy in returning to campus as a member of the Warlick's staff. "First, I would like to thank God for blessing me with this opportunity," Gordon said. "I am grateful to Holly and the UT Athletics administration for the opportunity and for having faith in me to continue building the rich tradition of the Lady Vol program. "This opportunity is reminiscent of a call I received over 30 years ago, of being offered a scholarship. I had always dreamed of being a Lady Vol. After playing and being part of this rich tradition, I have continued to dream about coming back as a coach and helping Holly continue to add to the Lady Vol legacy. Another dream has come true! "I'm overwhelmed and grateful, because Knoxville is a special place. I spent the best four years of my life here. The fans have always been so faithful and supportive. There is no place like home, and I'm overwhelmed with gratitude. It's heartfelt, because it has only been a year since we lost Pat, and I know she would be proud of me. "I look forward to assisting Holly, Dean and Sharrona as we continue to shape this wonderful program, but most importantly I am ecstatic about meeting and working with this awesome group of Lady Vols." Gordon's influence helped establish several Wichita State student-athletes as dominant forces in the Missouri Valley Conference. She helped guide Jessica Diamond to a pair of first-team all-conference selections, Haleigh Lankster to 2011-12 MVC Defensive Player of the Year accolades, and Alex Harden to 2013, 2014 and 2015 MVC Tournament MVP honors as well as back-to-back MVC Defensive Player of the Year and 2015 MVC Player of the Year distinction. Harden developed into a 2015 WNBA Draft pick. Prior to her tenure at WSU, Gordon spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Georgia State University in Atlanta. Along with being an assistant coach, she was GSU's recruiting coordinator her final two seasons with the Panthers, where she helped land the No. 52 ranked class in the nation. Georgia State improved its win total in each season Gordon spent on the bench. Before her stint in Atlanta, Gordon served one year as a regional scout for the WNBA in 2006-07. She traveled the country rating the top 50 seniors in the nation and evaluated underclassmen for future WNBA consideration. From 2001-06, Gordon was an assistant coach in her hometown of DeLand, Fla., at Stetson University, and spent her last two seasons with the Hatters as the recruiting coordinator. In 2005, she helped lead the squad to its first conference tournament championship and the initial NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. Gordon enjoyed a stellar collegiate playing career at Tennessee from 1985-89, helping lead Tennessee to its first two NCAA National Championships as a sophomore (1987) and as a senior (1989) along with two other Final Four appearances. That accomplishment made UT the first school in women's basketball to advance to four consecutive NCAA Final Fours. With Warlick serving as an assistant to Pat Summitt on those Tennessee teams, Gordon was a four-time All-SEC First Team performer and two-time Kodak All-American. Her number 30 is hanging from the rafters at Thompson-Boling Arena, and she is a member of the Women's Basketball (2007), Tennessee Sports (2012), University of Tennessee Athletics (2001) and DeLand (Fla.) High School Halls of Fame. Gordon was named NCAA Final Four MVP, SEC Female Athlete of the Year and SEC Player of the Year in 1989 and was the SEC Tournament MVP in 1988 and 1989. She collected SEC Freshman of the Year accolades in 1986 and later was named to the NCAA 25th Anniversary Team and the Team of the Decade (1980s). Finishing her college career as UT's all-time leader in points (2,462) and steals (336), Gordon remains second in both categories through the 2016-17 season. The 1989 UT graduate possesses a B.S. in political science. On the international stage, Gordon earned her Olympic gold medal in 1988, prior to her senior year of college. She traveled to Seoul, South Korea, and helped the USA take the top spot on the podium. She was the fourth-leading scorer and one of two collegiate members of Team USA who brought home gold medals. Gordon's .571 field goal percentage was second on the squad that went 5-0 to achieve its "Sole Goal" of "Seoul Gold". Following her collegiate career, Gordon played professionally in Italy, where she was a perennial all-star and won seven Italian Championships and two European Cups (1994 & 1996), and Turkey, before a two-year stint with the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs.
Courtesy of: utsports.com

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