Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus UCLA on March 29, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 70
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Final
Women's Basketball
58
vs UCLA
70
Duke Names Trisha Stafford-Odom Assistant Women?s Basketball Coach
6/1/2009 10:30:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DURHAM, N.C. ? Duke Women's Basketball Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie announced on Monday the hiring of Trisha Stafford-Odom as assistant coach for the Blue Devils. Stafford-Odom will be heavily involved in recruiting and coaching the guards at Duke.
“We are very excited to welcome Trisha to the Duke family,” commented McCallie. “She is a high-energy person with a proven track record of excellence. She did a fabulous job on her interview, as she met with the coaches on our staff. She has a passion for the game, passion for recruiting, and I have no doubt that she can bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm to our program. We are very, very excited to welcome her to our family.”
Stafford-Odom, a standout student-athlete at the University of California who went on to play professionally in the WNBA and overseas, had previously served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at UCLA from 2005-08. Recognized as one of the most influential and positive coaches that continues to impact the women's game, Stafford-Odom has an infectious personality that captivates players, coaches, event coordinators and parents.
“I'm thrilled about the opportunity to re-enter into the women's coaching arena on this high level,” commented Stafford-Odom. “To be back in my comfort zone, developing players, interacting, and sharing my knowledge, is a blessing I've been waiting for. As an added bonus, Coach P is allowing me to exercise my passion in the elite Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), for an outstanding institution such as Duke. I'm ecstatic!”
During her years with UCLA, Stafford-Odom brought in the third-best recruiting class nationally, which was the Bruins' top class in school history. She also worked with the perimeter players, did scouting and guided four UCLA student-athletes to WNBA Draft selections.
“With Trisha, comes a sincere desire to mentor young ladies and assist with the continuance of molding their skills, mentalities, and womanhood,” said Stafford-Odom. “I'm prideful about drawing everything out of each individual to give us the best chance of winning. I also come packaged with plenty of energy and enthusiasm, and a West Coast swagger. I'm tickled “blue” about my resources that are going to allow me access to the nation's most attractive players.”
Prior to joining the UCLA staff in 2005, she spent the previous three seasons as the head coach at Westchester High School in Los Angeles, Calif. Stafford-Odom coached more than 10 high school players at Westchester who earned college scholarships at Westchester.
Stafford-Odom, a Los Angeles native, is one of the all-time great players in the history of Cal basketball, ranking sixth on the all-time scoring list (1,530) and ninth on the all-time rebounding charts (721) after her three-season career. She helped lead Cal into its first two NCAA Tournament appearances (1990 and 1992) and was selected to the school's 10-player All-Decade Team (1986-1996).
In 1991-92, she topped Cal and the Pac-10 in scoring (22.3 ppg) and also led the Golden Bears in rebounding (8.7). In the process, she posted one of only two 20-plus point scoring averages in school history. Her season total of 647 points was the fourth-most in school history. She was named an honorable mention All-American by Kodak and Basketball Times and a second-team selection by the Women's Basketball News Service for 1991-92. She earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors in '91-92 and '90-91. She is still listed in the school's top-10 career best lists in seven categories. In 1990, she was a member of the U.S. Junior National team and played in the 1990 U.S. Olympic Sports Festival and the 1993 World University Games.
“I'm most impressed by Coach McCallie's drive,” commented Stafford-Odom. “She seems to be driven by some forces that don't drive other coaches. She is inspired to develop players and she strategically mixes and blends talent so the ultimate result is perfect chemistry. I see how passionate Coach P is about what she's doing, and I can't help but be ignited by her fire.”
Stafford-Odom played professionally in the WNBA in 2001 with the Houston Comets and in 2002 with the Miami Sol. She played in the ABL for San Jose and Long Beach and has also played professionally overseas in Italy, Spain, Israel, Brazil and Puerto Rico. She is married to DeWayne Odom, and they have two young sons, Amari and Trajen.
“I've been able, this past year, to focus on being a wife and mother, and I've been a definite student of the game,” said Stafford-Odom. “My relationships with past and present recruits have almost seemed to get better, because players and parents continue to call me. While I was in transition, I was coaching with an AAU team -- FBC -- that I definitely want to thank for allowing me to continue to hone my skills. They were instrumental in maintaining my credibility as one of the best coaches out there.”
Stafford-Odom replaces former assistant coach Shannon Perry, who spent the past five seasons with the Blue Devils. Her official start date at Duke will be June 10, 2009.
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