Carlene Mitchell

Last updated

Edra Carlene Mitchell is an American college basketball coach. She was hired as interim head coach of the CSUN Matadors women's basketball team in July 2021. [1] She was let go as CSUN women's basketball head coach in March of 2024. [2] She was previously the assistant coach of the American basketball team Chicago Sky of the WNBA and the former head coach of the women's basketball program at UC Santa Barbara. [1] Before taking her first head coaching job with the Gauchos, Mitchell spent 10 years as an assistant coach to C. Vivian Stringer at Rutgers University, spending her last three years as associate head coach. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Mitchell was born in De Witt, Arkansas. She began her college playing career at Trinity Valley Community College where she won a national title during her second season (1993–94). She also set the NJCAA record for most assists in a single season (337) and most assists in a game (17) during the national championship season with the Cardinals. She made the jump to NCAA Division 1 basketball when she transferred to Kansas State University. She started at point guard her senior year with the Wildcats (1995–96). [4]

Coaching career

Mitchell in 2023 231122 Gophers CSUN JohnMc08 (53353544303) (cropped).jpg
Mitchell in 2023

At UC Santa Barbara Mitchell became the fifth head coach in Gaucho history on May 19, 2011. She replaced Lindsay Gottlieb who left the program to become the head coach for the women's basketball team at the University of California, Berkeley. [5]

In her first season with the Gauchos, she led her team on an historic run to capture the Big West Championship as the sixth seeded team in the conference tournament. During that run, she also saw two of her players earn spots on the All-Big West Tournament Team, sophomore guard Melissa Zornig and junior forward/center Kirsten Tilleman. Tilleman also earned Tournament MVP honors after her double-double performance in the championship game versus Long Beach State. [6]

Mitchell also coached two of her players to Big West recognition. Senior Emilie Johnson was named to the All-Big West Second Team, the fourth time in her career she earned All-Big West honors. And sophomore guard Nicole Nesbit was named as the conference's Co-Sixth Player of the Year and was also an All-Big West Honorable Mention. [7]

While at Rutgers, Mitchell helped coach the team to an NCAA Tournament berth in nine straight seasons and a spot in the NCAA regional semifinals in five of her last seven seasons. Mitchell, who served as the program's recruiting coordinator since 2004, consistently landed the top talent in the nation, including four top-15 recruiting classes and the nation's top recruiting class in 2006–07.

Prior to her time with the Scarlet Knights, Mitchell spent the 2000–01 season as the top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Oklahoma State University. She was responsible for both preseason and off-season conditioning, coaching the guards during practices, developing a defensive game plan for each of Oklahoma State's opponents and working with the program's summer camps. [8]

Prior to her stop in Stillwater, Mitchell coached for two seasons at Western Illinois University. While in Macomb, Ill., she helped the Westerwinds make a remarkable turnaround from a 7–19 record to an 18–11 mark the following season. Mitchell assisted in the signing of 14 student-athletes to national letters of intent. Three of those student-athletes were later named to the Mid-Continent Conference All-First Team during their respective careers.

Mitchell started her coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1997. Her responsibilities with the Kangaroos included implementing strength and conditioning programs, creating opponent scouting reports and organizing all team travel. [9]

Recognition

In her first year at the helm for UCSB, Mitchell turned around a team that was 8–13 midway through the season by coaching them to nine wins of their final 12 games. That comeback led to the program's 14th Big West Championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament. For that season, Mitchell was named as one of the top three finalists for the Spalding Maggie Dixon Division I Rookie Coach of the Year presented by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. [10]

Related Research Articles

Kevin Bromley is an American former basketball coach, who was most recently an assistant at UC Santa Barbara. Bromley joined UCSB as an assistant coach in 2011. He was the head coach for Cal Poly from 2001–2009, compiling an overall record of 99–145.

Robert Allen Williams is an American college basketball coach and the former head men's basketball coach at the UC Santa Barbara. He is sometimes referred to as the Dean of the Big West Conference's basketball coaches. He was previously the head coach at the UC Davis, winning the NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship in 1998. Williams is the all-time winningest coach at UC Santa Barbara with a 19-year record of 313–260.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UC Santa Barbara Gauchos</span> Collegiate sports club in the United States

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are the intercollegiate athletic teams who represent the University of California, Santa Barbara. Referred to in athletic competition as UC Santa Barbara or UCSB, the Gauchos participate in 19 NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports with the majority competing in the Big West Conference. UCSB currently fields varsity teams in 10 men's sports and 9 women's sports.

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer team is an NCAA Division I college soccer team composed of student-athletes attending the University of California, Santa Barbara. The Gauchos play their home matches at Harder Stadium. Like most of the other UC Santa Barbara Gauchos athletic teams, the men's soccer team competes in the Big West Conference.

Timothy Harold Vom Steeg is an American collegiate soccer head coach who is currently with the University of California, Santa Barbara men's soccer team. He has been with the Gauchos since 1999 and is the most successful coach in the history of UC Santa Barbara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heather Zurich</span> American former basketball coach and professional basketball player

Heather N. Zurich is an American former basketball player and coach. She played college basketball for Rutgers University from 2005 to 2009 before playing professionally for one season in the Netherlands. Following her playing career, she became a college basketball coach.

The 2009–10 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball team represented the University of California, Santa Barbara during the 2009–10 college basketball season. They were led by head coach Bob Williams in his 12th season at UCSB. The Gauchos were members of the Big West Conference and played their home games at the UC Santa Barbara Events Center, also known as The Thunderdome.

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball team is the basketball team that represents University of California, Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, California, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Big West Conference. The current head coach is Joe Pasternack.

Andrew Checketts is an American college baseball coach and former player. He currently is the head coach of the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindsay Gottlieb</span> American basketball coach (born 1977)

Lindsay Catherine Gottlieb is an American basketball coach who is the women's head coach for the USC Trojans of the Big Ten Conference. She was previously the head coach of the California Golden Bears women's team before becoming an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The 2013–14 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball team represented the University of California, Santa Barbara during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gauchos, led by 16th year head coach Bob Williams, played their home games at the UC Santa Barbara Events Center, nicknamed The Thunderdome, as members of the Big West Conference. They finished the season 21–9, 12–4 in Big West play to finish in second place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big West Conference tournament to Cal Poly. Despite having 21 wins, they did not participate in a post season tournament.

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball team represents the University of California, Santa Barbara in the sport of baseball. The Gauchos compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) through the Big West Conference. They are currently led by head coach Andrew Checketts, who led his fifth season with the Gauchos in 2016.

The 2014–15 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball team represented the University of California, Santa Barbara during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gauchos, led by 17th-year head coach Bob Williams, played their home games at the UC Santa Barbara Events Center, nicknamed The Thunderdome, as members of the Big West Conference. They finished the season 19–14, 11–5 in Big West play, to finish in a tie for second place. They advanced to the semifinals of the Big West tournament where they lost to UC Irvine. They were invited to the College Basketball Invitational where they lost in the first round to Oral Roberts.

The 2015–16 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball team represented the University of California, Santa Barbara during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gauchos, led by 18th year head coach Bob Williams, played their home games at the UC Santa Barbara Events Center, nicknamed the Thunderdome, as members of the Big West Conference. They finished the season with a record of 19–14, 11–5 in Big West play to finish in fourth place. They defeated UC Davis in the quarterfinals of the Big West tournament to advance to the semifinals, where they lost to Hawaii. They were invited to the inaugural Vegas 16, which featured only eight teams, where they defeated Northern Illinois to advance to the semifinals, where they lost to Old Dominion.

The 2016–17 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball team represented the University of California, Santa Barbara during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gauchos, led by 19th-year head coach Bob Williams, played their home games at the UC Santa Barbara Events Center, nicknamed the Thunderdome, as members of the Big West Conference.

The 2018–19 UC Santa Barbara Guachos men's basketball team represented the University of California, Santa Barbara in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gauchos were led by second-year head coach Joe Pasternack and competed in The Thunderdome. UC Santa Barbara was a member of the Big West Conference, and participated in their 48th season in that league.

The 2019–20 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball team represent the University of California, Santa Barbara in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gauchos, led by 3rd-year head coach Joe Pasternack, play their home games at The Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, California as members of the Big West Conference.

The 1989–90 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball team represented the University of California, Santa Barbara during the 1989–90 college basketball season. They were led by head coach Jerry Pimm in his 7th season at UCSB. The Gauchos were members of the Big West Conference and played their home games at the UC Santa Barbara Events Center, also known as The Thunderdome.

The 2023 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's volleyball team represents University of California, Santa Barbara in the 2023 NCAA Division I & II men's volleyball season. The Gauchos, led by fifteenth year head coach Rick McLaughlin, playtheir home games between Robertson Gymnasium. The Gauchos compete as members of the Big West Conference and were picked the finish fourth in the Big West preseason poll.

The 2023–24 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos women's basketball team represents the University of California, Santa Barbara during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Gauchos, led by ninth-year head coach Bonnie Henrickson, play their home games at The Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, California as members of the Big West Conference.

References

  1. 1 2 "Carlene Mitchell Returns to the Big West as CSUN's Interim Head Women's Basketball Coach". Go Matadors. July 30, 2021.
  2. "CSUN Announces Coaching Change in Women's Basketball". CSUN Athletics. 2024-03-15. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  3. "UCSB hires Carlene Mitchell as coach". ESPN. Associated Press. 19 May 2011. Archived from the original on 29 November 2011.
  4. "Sports Figure of the Month: Carlene Mitchell". Presidio Sports. May 31, 2012.
  5. "Carlene Mitchell Named New UCSB Women's Basketball Coach". May 20, 2011.
  6. "BIG WEST CHAMPS!!!". UC Santa Barbara. March 10, 2012.
  7. "Emilie Johnson, Nicole Nesbit Honored by the Big West". UC Santa Barbara. March 5, 2012.
  8. "Women's Basketball". UC Santa Barbara.
  9. "Rutgers Women's Basketball – Carlene Mitchell". Archived from the original on 2011-03-18. Retrieved 2013-01-29.
  10. Information, UCSB Sports (March 31, 2012). "UCSB's Mitchell named finalist for Rookie Coach of the Year". Presidio Sports.