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Home > SECWB News & More! > SEC Teams > Vanderbilt > Vandy Assistant Norman Leaves for Louisville
Vandy Assistant Norman Leaves for Louisville
by LeAnne Harrington
Posted: April 15th, 2007 @ 3:21am
In a move that caught most fans by surprise, assistant coach Stephanie Norman has left the women’s basketball program at Vanderbilt to take a similar position on Jeff Walz’s new staff at the University of Louisville. Norman, one of Coach Melanie Balcomb’s top assistants, served as the recruiting coordinator at Vanderbilt. In her 5 years with the Commodores, Norman earned a reputation as one of the top recruiters in women‘s basketball. In only her second season at Vanderbilt, Norman brought in the #1 recruiting class in the nation in 2003. Two of those players, Carla Thomas and Dee Davis, were the #10 and #14 picks in the recent WNBA draft. In fact, Vanderbilt has sent six players to the WNBA in the past five years. Norman’s recruiting classes in 2005 and 2006 were ranked in the top 20 in the nation, with the 2006 class rated #7. During her five years at Vanderbilt, the Commodores won two SEC Tournament Championships and went to five straight NCAA Tournaments, highlighted by two appearances in the Sweet Sixteen. Vanderbilt was ranked in the top 25 each of those five years.
Prior to her stint at Vanderbilt, Norman served as an assistant coach at Oregon State for two years, helping guide the Beavers to the WNIT in 2000, their first post-season appearance since 1996. Norman also served as an assistant coach at Oregon from 1992 through 1997. During here time there, the Ducks compiled a 122-69 record and made six straight appearances in the NCAAs. Norman earned a bachelor of science degree in wildlife biology from Arizona State in 1989 and earned a master's degree in education from the University of Hawaii in 1992. She was a four year letter winner at Arizona State and served as the Sun Devils’ team captain her junior and senior years.
Norman, a native of Florence, Oregon, has especially strong recruiting ties to the west coast, but has fostered an exemplary reputation with coaches across the country. Jeff Walz states: "Stephanie will be a great asset to our program. She is a great person with outstanding character. She has a wonderful reputation and has had success with every program she has been associated with. Her knowledge of the game and her ability to relate to the student-athletes make her a great fit for our program. She is well-respected by her peers for her recruiting contacts. We are excited to have her as a part of our staff."
Some Vanderbilt fans were left wondering if the university’s high admission standards proved to be a hindrance in the recruiting wars. Finding top notch players who are also at the top of their game in the classroom can be a daunting task, but coach Norman proved it can be done. In the past five years, at least 18 Commodore players have been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll (figures not yet available for this year). Alas, the recruiting base for Vanderbilt may be shrinking somewhat; with the exception of Liz Sherwood (who transferred in from UConn), Vanderbilt has no player on the roster taller than 6’3”. No word yet on who Coach Balcomb will choose to fill the recruiting coordinator position on her staff at Vanderbilt. We wish Coach Norman all the best in her career at Louisville and in all her future endeavors.
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