Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook University's head women's basketball coach, Michele Cherry, has announced the hiring of Evelyn Thompson as an assistant coach. Thompson comes to the Seawolves after serving two seasons on the Michigan State coaching staff and will be responsible for coordinating Stony Brook's recruiting and the development of perimeter players.
"I'm extremely pleased to announce the addition of Coach Evelyn Thompson to our staff," said Cherry. "Evelyn has been a proven women's basketball coach for many years. She brings with her vast experience from both her days as a player at Auburn to her days spent coaching at universities ranging from mid-major to nationally ranked Division I programs. Her recruiting abilities as well as her work on the court, specifically with perimeter players, will have an immediate impact on our program. She has a great work ethic, a high basketball IQ and a passion for the game that will make her a perfect fit within our program."
During her time with the Spartans, Thompson was in charge of recruiting, scheduling and coaching the guards. She arrived in East Lansing after spending five seasons on the women's basketball staff at the University of Buffalo. Thompson was primarily responsible for overseeing Buffalo's recruiting program in addition to working with the Bulls' post players, running individual workouts and scouting opponents. Thompson brought four years of Division I coaching experience and an impressive playing background to the Bulls coaching staff when she joined the program prior to the 2002-03 season.
Thompson's successful collegiate playing career began at Northeast Mississippi Community College where she helped her team to the national title in her first season in 1986-87. After earning Kodak All-America accolades as well as her associate's degree in both English and psychology, Thompson went on to Auburn University where she helped the Tigers reach the NCAA title game in both 1988-89 and 1989-90. In her first season in 1988-89, Auburn posted a 32-2 record, won the Southeastern Conference regular-season title and finished second in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll. As a senior starter in 1989-90, Thompson led the Tigers to a 28-7 record, the SEC Tournament title and a final AP ranking of ninth in the nation. She was an NCAA All-Mideast Region selection and an SEC All-Tournament Team selection as a senior.
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Following her playing career, Thompson served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at both Arizona State (1990-93) and Western Kentucky (1993-94).
