Athletics Director Kirby Hocutt announced yesterday that former North Carolina basketball star Sylvia Crawley will be the new Ohio women's basketball coach.
Ohio University President Roderick McDavis began the press conference by citing the excellence of Ohio athletics in the last few years that has projected the university into the national spotlight.
Today's announcement represents the next step
not only for our University but for our women's basketball program. (Crawley) is a person who brings credibility integrity and experience as a student athlete
a professional athlete and a coach
McDavis said.
Crawley ' who grew up in Wintersville, Ohio, and played basketball at Steubenville High School ' is the eighth coach in the history of women's program and is the first black woman to hold the position. Last season, she served as the top assistant coach at Fordham University.
Crawley has been no stranger to success during her extensive basketball career .
As a player-captain at North Carolina during 1993-94 season, Crawley led her team to a 33-2 record, culminating in a national championship title. She was honored as the Final Four's Most Valuable Player and was named to the East Region All-Tournament Team.
Crawley's No. 00 jersey was retired in 2000, just the ninth jersey in school history to be honored in such a way.
We looked for someone who had been a part of a championship program
Hocutt said. We looked for someone who was a goal-setter and would set extremely high goals for this team and program.
After her college career, Crawley played in the 1995 World University Games and was named the 1995 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year as she led the United States to a silver medal.
Other former recipients of the Basketball Athlete of the Year award include Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and Lisa Leslie, Hocutt said.
Crawley's professional career then began in Europe, before she came back to the United States to play in the American Basketball League. Finally in 2000, she joined the Portland Fire of the Women's National Basketball Association. She played for three years as player-captain with Portland before she was traded to San Antonio, where she also was named captain and played for two years.
The things I am going to teach this team I have tried against the best in the world
Crawley said. I am extremely excited about coming here and making this team an enjoyable team to watch. We are going to get up and down the floor; we are going to fastbreak. It is going to be exciting for the players to play that style and it will be exciting for the fans to watch.
Crawley also has some experience on the coaching level. She worked as an assistant coach at North Carolina for two seasons, learning from coach Sylvia Hatchell.
She has played a very instrumental part in grooming me to be a successful coach
Crawley said.
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