Rutgers Assistant Coach Marianne Stanley Departs for WNBA
May 09 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers University assistant women's basketball coach Marianne Stanley has accepted an assistant coaching position with the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, it was announced today.
"I feel like my life has been enriched by spending the last two years at Rutgers,' Stanley said. "I have enjoyed reconnecting with my friend Vivian Stringer and working with the players. I look forward to my return to Rutgers, watching these young women as they continue to reach great heights"
"She brought maturity, integrity, professionalism and a true passion for the game to Rutgers," head coach C. Vivian Stringer said. "It's a huge loss for me personally because she is a very good friend. We wish Marianne the very best and appreciate all she has done for the program. I am excited for her as she will be closer to her family now in California. She will still be, however, doing what she loves best and that is coaching basketball."
Prior to Stanley's two-year stay 'On the Banks,' Stanley spent seven seasons working in the WNBA. She began in the summer of 2000 with the Sparks as an assistant to Michael Cooper, still the current head coach. Stanley was with the Washington Mystics for two seasons, including a stint as the head coach in 2002 in which she was honored with the league's Coach of the Year award.
She served a number of capacities with the New York Liberty before returning to the college ranks in September of 2006 to work with fellow Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Stringer.
Stanley is one of the most successful collegiate coaches of all-time. Overall, she posted a 416-222 (.652) record in 21 seasons as a head coach, guiding her teams to 10 NCAA Tournament berths. Three times Stanley's squads advanced to the NCAA Tournament Final Four, winning one title, and five times reaching the Elite Eight.
