 Carlene Mitchell enters her eighth season on the sidelines for the Scarlet Knights and first as the associate head coach. Mitchell was promoted in the summer of 2008.
Under the tutelage of C .Vivian Stringer, Mitchell has helped direct the Scarlet Knights to a 160-68 (.701) record and NCAA berths in six of the last seven seasons. Over the past four campaigns, Rutgers has amassed a record of 109-28 (.796) and reached three NCAA Tournament regional finals.
Mitchell has served as the program's recruiting coordinator since 2004, consistenty landing some of the top talent in the nation. A native of DeWitt, Ark., the enthusiastic coach has assembled some of the finest recruiting classes during her stay 'On the Banks.'
The 2008 recruiting class has been ranked No. 3 nationally by both Hoopgurlz and All Star Girls Report (ASGR). The five-member squad, who begin play this fall, feature three Top-10 players and five ranked in the Top-25 individually.
Mitchell made an immediate impact in Piscataway, helping to put together a 2001-02 recruiting class rated 13th in the nation by ASGR. She continued the success in 2004, boasting a third-ranked four-member group.
That stellar class was followed by a trio of players, ranked 13th as a group, which included the nation's No. 2 post prospect, Kia Vaughn. The 2006-07 group which includes current juniors Epiphanny Prince, Rashidat Junaid, Myia McCurdy and Brittany Ray, was ranked the best incoming class by Women's Basketball Magazine.
In addition to her recruiting efforts, Mitchell work has also been noticeable on the court with the Scarlet Knight guards. She has helped to mentor and teach several current WNBA players, including Chelsea Newton, Cappie Pondexter, Matee Ajavon and Essence Carson.
Prior to arriving at Rutgers, Mitchell spent the 2000-01 season as the top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Oklahoma State University. She was responsible for preseason and off-season conditioning programs, 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.
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 began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Missouri-Kansas City during the 1997-98 season. Her responsibilities with the Kangaroos included implementing strength and conditioning programs, creating opponent scouting reports and organizing all team travel.
A native of DeWitt, Ark., Mitchell was the starting point guard as a senior at Kansas State University during the 1995-96 season. She received a bachelor’s degree in social science from the school in 1996. Mitchell also attended Allen County (Kan.) and Trinity Valley (Texas) Community Colleges, serving as the starting point guard for the 1994 NJCAA national champions. |
