Debbie Black

Last updated
Debbie Black
Personal information
Born (1966-07-29) July 29, 1966 (age 57)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 2.5 in (1.59 m)
Listed weight124 lb (56 kg)
Career information
High school Archbishop Wood
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
College Saint Joseph's (1984–1988)
WNBA draft 1999: 2nd round, 15th overall pick
Selected by the Utah Starzz
Playing career1988–2004
Position Point guard
Number31, 24
Coaching career1999–present
Career history
As player:
1988–1996Hobart Islanders
1994–1995 Launceston Tornadoes
1996–1998 Colorado Xplosion
1999 Utah Starzz
2000–2002 Miami Sol
2003–2004 Connecticut Sun
As coach:
1999–2000 Vanderbilt (Assistant)
2005–2013 Ohio State (Assistant)
2013–2017 Eastern Illinois
2017–2018 Chattanooga (Director of Operations)
2018–2021 Chattanooga (Assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Competitor for Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
women's national basketball team
Jones Cup
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1985 Taipei Team Competition

Debbie Black (born July 29, 1966) [1] is an American women's basketball former player and current coach. During her professional career, Black played in the Women's National Basketball League in Australia, the American Basketball League and the Women's National Basketball Association. She retired from the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA in 2005. [2] Black was an assistant coach for the Ohio State University before being named the head coach of the Eastern Illinois University Women's Basketball team on May 16, 2013, in which position she continued until 2017. [3]

Contents

High school and college

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Black is a 1984 graduate of Philadelphia's Archbishop Wood High School. She played for Jim Foster at St. Joseph's University and graduated in 1988. While there she helped lead the Hawks to two Philadelphia Big 5 championships and an Atlantic 10 Conference title. A multi-sport athlete, Black earned 12 varsity letters in basketball, field hockey, and softball. [4]

Professional career

Australia

Black played eight seasons with the Hobart Islanders (1989–96) of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) in Australia. She helped the team win the WNBL championship in 1991. [5] She also played for the Launceston Tornadoes of the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) in 1994 and 1995, [6] helping the team win the 1995 SEABL championship and ABA National championship. [7] [8]

ABL

Black played for the Colorado Xplosion and was also an All-Star selection for the ABL. Black is the only professional female basketball player to have accomplished, and is one of very few basketball players (male or female) ever to accomplish a quadruple double (10 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists, 10 steals); she accomplished this feat against the Atlanta Glory on Dec. 8, 1996. She received Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1997. [5]

WNBA

Black was drafted 15th overall by the Utah Starzz in 2nd round of the 1999 WNBA draft. She then played for the Miami Sol from 2000 to 2002. While playing for the Sol, she earned the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award at the age of 35. In 2003, Black was acquired by the Connecticut Sun during the dispersal draft. She played for the Sun until her retirement in 2005. [5]

Throughout Black's basketball career, her energy, intensity, and toughness were well-known among her teammates and opponents alike. Her relentless defense earned her the nickname "The Pest." [9] At 5' 2.5", she was the shortest player in the WNBA, just half an inch shorter than Los Angeles Sparks point guard Shannon Bobbitt and just edging out Temeka Johnson. She is a half inch shorter than the shortest NBA player in history, Muggsy Bogues. [10] During 1999 she played on the Utah Starzz with the tallest WNBA player, 7'2" Małgorzata Dydek.

National team

Black was named to the team representing the USA at the William Jones Cup competition in Taipei, Taiwan in 1985. The USA team had a 7–1 record and won the gold medal in a close final against Japan, winning 56–54. Black had 8 rebounds and 3 steals in the competition. [11]

Coaching career

Black entered the coaching ranks as an assistant to her college coach, Jim Foster at Vanderbilt in 1999-2000, with the team advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament. She rejoined Foster at Ohio State in 2005. Her eight seasons there saw the Buckeyes make seven trips to the NCAA Tournament as she worked as a recruiter and specialist in developing guards. Several guards went on to play professionally in the WNBA or overseas. [12] On May 16, 2013, Black was named the head coach of the Eastern Illinois Panthers. [2] On March 7, 2017, Black's contract was not renewed as head coach of EIU. [2] She endured budget cuts and layoffs during her time as coach and the university did not receive state funds for over a year. [13] There were rumors of the school closing, but on June 6, 2016, President David Glassman sent a letter to the campus community stating the school will not close and that further cuts may come. [14] Through all of this she managed to increase the number of wins the team had in her final season. Most recently she was an assistant coach at University of Tennessee Chattanooga.

Coaching record

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Eastern Illinois Panthers (Ohio Valley Conference)(2013–2017)
2013–14 Eastern Illinois 12–167–9T-2nd WestOVC Tournament
2014–15 Eastern Illinois 10–207–9t-7thOVC Tournament
2015–16 Eastern Illinois 3–252–1412th
2016–17 Eastern Illinois 9–195–1112th
Eastern Illinois Panthers (Ohio Valley Conference)(2013–2017)
Eastern Illinois:34–8021-43
Total:34–80

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Playing stats

St. Joseph's University

At graduation:

Professional

At retirement:

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References

  1. ↑ "Women's Basketball Coaches Career". NCAA. Retrieved 30 Sep 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Eastern Illinois University – Debbie Black Named EIU Women's Basketball Coach
  3. ↑ "Women's Basketball Contract Not Renewed". Archived from the original on 2017-03-09. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
  4. ↑ "2011-12 Saint Joseph's University Women's Basketball Media Guide". Issuu.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Greenberg, Mel (November 9, 2012). "Debbie Black: "Never Missed A Game Or Practice In My 30 Years"". Womhoops Guru. Retrieved 10 Jun 2013.
  6. ↑ Edwards, Phil (August 7, 2015). "US player to celebrate title glory". examiner.com.au. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  7. ↑ Edwards, Phil (July 24, 2015). "Tornadoes of 1995 to relive title glory". examiner.com.au. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  8. ↑ Mathieson, Andrew (August 13, 2018). "Michael House, the last man to coach Launceston Tornadoes to national basketball title, reflects on his time in the game in Launceston". examiner.com.au. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  9. ↑ NOT A SHORT STORY AT ALL, Philadelphia Inquirer
  10. ↑ Staff, S. I. "Inch by Inch: The Alltime, All-Size All-Stars". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com.
  11. ↑ "1985 WOMEN'S R. WILLIAM JONES CUP". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  12. ↑ "Ohio State Women's Basketball | Information Guide" (PDF). 2012–13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-08.
  13. ↑ "The Daily Eastern News".
  14. ↑ jarad.jarmon@lee.net, JARAD JARMON. "EIU president: University not closing; further cuts may come". pantagraph.com.
  15. ↑ "2010 Honorees". Bucks County Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 10 Jun 2013.
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