We're really focused right now on just immersing myself in the community, meeting the team. After an excellent junior season, Ralph was less productive in the beginning of her senior season. She helped guide Vanderbilt to two Sweet 16 appearances and an Elite Eight. UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, who Ralph played for and coached under, also gave a statement about her hire. High School Reunion Tournament, Vanderbilt admits 15.7% of early decision applicants, record low, Black Cultural Center and student groups host Black History Month programming throughout February, BREAKING: Commodores lose Liam Robbins for the season, Womens Golf: The Commodores secure eighth place at Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, VandyBoys Series Preview: Battling the Big Ten at the Cambria College Classic, Vanderbilt sweeps MTSU in last dual match before SEC play, WEITZEL: The heartbreak may not ever end, but we should still fight it, Lacrosse: After a thrilling fourth quarter, Vanderbilt falls short to Louisville, GUEST EDITORIAL: Vanderbilt administrators, speak up for trans students before its too late, Defending the Crown: Vanderbilt Bowling wins Stallings Invitational, Swimming: Vanderbilt takes on SEC Championships, No. Shortly thereafter, she made a recruiting visit to UConn, and told the coach she was ready to commit to Connecticut. AP Sports Writer Pat Eaton-Robb in Connecticut contributed to this report. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Ralph takes over a program that hasnt reached the NCAA Tournament in seven years despite a history featuring 26 berths, 15 trips to the Sweet 16, five Elite Eights and a Final Four in 1993. Shea Sydney Ralph (born March 12, 1978)[1] is a former collegiate basketball player and current head coach for the Vanderbilt Commodores women's basketball team. [30] However, on her next possession, she drove to the basket and took a shot, twisting to avoid her defender. Original reporting that provides diverse perspectives on news and issues of today. Vanderbilt also recorded its first SEC Tournament victory in six years when it defeated Texas A&M 85-69 on March 2, 2022. Barely two weeks later, Vandy earned its first victory of the new era against a Power 5 opponent, defeating Rutgers in the Paradise Jam. After she earned the USA Player of the Year award, she was interviewed by USA Today, who asked about her recruiting decision. 2023 www.tennessean.com. [9] A preseason second ACL tear caused her to miss the entire 199798 season. Her condition was not known to Connecticut at the time of her recruitment, but soon became apparent. Advertisement Lets give a big Commodore Welcome to Shea Ralph-Garrick and family! Vanderbilt men's coach Jerry Stackhouse wrote on Twitter of the coach who grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The No. Coach Ralph has earned the opportunity to take the reins of our womens basketball program and transform it into what we all know is possible, Lee said. She was also an assistant under Balcomb from 2013-16 and helped recruit multiple top-20 classes. The experience convinced her that she wanted to become a head coach, but she recognized she had a lot to learn. [29] A few minutes later she scored again, pushing her scoring total to eleven points on 44 shooting, along with six assists and three steals with over six minutes remaining in the first half. Athletic director Candice Lee announced the hiring Tuesday morning, April 13, 2021, a week after firing Stephanie White. Her drive as a student, as a player as a coach, her intensity level in how she played and coached and recruited, those are staples of who Shea is and I know that's what she will bring to Vanderbilt" he said. Garrick was also head coach at Rhode Island (2003-09) and an assistant at Boston College (2015-18). Coach Ralph brings a wealth of experience from her time as both a student-athlete and coach at one of the nations most storied programs. UConn women's basketball assistant coach Shea Ralph has been named the head coach of the Vanderbilt University women's basketball team. Cambridge recorded the programs first postseason triple-double during the SEC Tournament, while she and Moore contributed to a program-record 17 3-pointers against Alabama State on Dec. 28, 2021. The prospect of not playing basketball persuaded her to eat. In the Championship game against Tennessee, she scored 15 points on seven of eight shooting. Vanderbilt women's basketball coach Shea Ralph announced Sunday that freshman center Amauri Williams had been dismissed from the team. April 13, 2021 Vanderbilt women's basketball has found its next head coach: UConn assistant Shea Ralph. The eNewspaper, a digital replica of the print edition. She began her coaching career at Pittsburgh in 2003 before returning to UConn in 2008. Shea Ralph grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where she attended Terry Sanford High School. Her final game was memorialized in Jeff Goldberg's book Bird at the Buzzer, a game some have termed the "greatest women's basketball game ever played". Ralph called Geno Auriemma, the Connecticut coach, to ask what kind of role he envisioned for her at UConn. As a junior, she led UConn to a national title and earned awards including the Sports Illustrated Women Player of the Year and Big East Player of the Year. In Big East play, the team only lost two games in four seasons for a combined record of 662. How did Vanderbilt get women's basketball coach Shea Ralph to leave UConn? It began with an offhand comment by a teammate, telling her she looked a "little thick". "I understand as a new head coach I need to make the right choice. We know you have many choices and appreciate you investing in us and the future of journalism. However, Auriemma responded, "I don't know. 1 player in the country in the 2020 class and won the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and AP Player of the Year awards as a freshman in 2020-21. He was an assistant with the Vanderbilt womens basketball team from 2009-2015. [42] When Tonya Cardoza left UConn to take the head coaching position at Temple University, the school needed a new assistant. Staley's new deal comes with a $1 million base salary plus $2 million in supplemental pay. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) Vanderbilt has hired UConn assistant Shea Ralph as its next womens basketball coach. Coach Ralph has earned the opportunity to take the reins of our womens basketball program and transform it into what we all know is possible, said Candice Lee, Vanderbilt vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs and athletic director. Auriemma said it will take time for Ralph to turn around the program, but he believes she can do it without sacrificing the school's high academic standards. Shea Ralph is hired as Vanderbilt head womens basketball coach on April 13, 2021. My husband, if you know him, he doesn't mince words. I owe it to myself, I owe it to our student-athletes and I owe it to the university to make sure that the right people are in place. The Huskies went to the NCAA tournament all four years, making the Sweet Sixteen each time, and the Final Four in her last two seasons. Ralph has spent the last 13 seasons as an assistant. Three starters transferred after the season, two of them graduates. We talked about people before; it starts and endswith people for me. . She spent the last 14 years at UConn and was a part of 13 teams that made it to the Final Four. Ralph said that Garrick's prior experience at Vanderbilt played a role in her comfort with taking the job, as he advocated for the program and its potential. Ralph received just over $272,000 and Moseley was paid just over $200,600. Betsy Goodfriend ('21) was the Deputy Sports Editor for The Vanderbilt Hustler. Ralph wasted no time helping individual student-athletes realize their full potential. He tells me when I'm wrong all the time. That included a 63-59 victory against No. [8] She cut down her eating so significantly she dropped from 145 pounds (66kg) to 108 (49kg), a very low weight for a six-foot-tall (1.83m) person. Ralph received just over $272,000 and Moseley was paid just over $200,600. However, he did, and Ralph became an assistant at UConn in 2008. In all, Ralph worked with 21 WNBA draft picks at UConn, including nine top-five picks and three No. Commodores name former UConn assistant the sixth head coach in program history. Ralph started out on fire. Ralph has spent the last 13 seasons as an assistant coach with the Huskies. She focused on coaching guards as well as player development and recruitment according to her. You can reach them at rachael.m.perrotta@vanderbilt.edu and chloe.a.postlewaite@vanderbilt.edu. They then beat South Korea easily and faced Japan in the third game. "[13], Ralph attended the University of Connecticut from 1996 to 2001, wearing uniform number 33, and graduating with a B.A. Ralph and the Huskies would go on to finish that season 29-3 before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and they finished the . Ralph became a coach after playing career ended due to multiple ACL tears in college. Garraud was Vanderbilt's top scorer against South Carolina with 15 points, two rebounds and two assists. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Donate to the Salvation Army Red Kettle Challenge. Vanderbilt has hired Shea Ralph away from UConn to help revive the Commodores' struggling women's basketball program. Its not easy, but theyre out there and Shea knows where to look. [4] A scholar as well as an athlete, the National Honor Society member was a recipient of the 1995 Dial Award presented annually to the top male and female high-school athlete/scholar in the United States, earning a 4.2 grade point average on a scale of 4.0. Shea Ralph was named the sixth head coach in Vanderbilt womens basketball history on April 13, 2021. Ralph rounds out her staff with assistant Kevin DeMille, who spent the past five seasons at George Washington in various roles. In her inaugural season, Ralph led Vanderbilt to its first postseason appearance since 2014. Full access on your desktop, tablet and mobile device. At halftime Ralph told her teammates that she had just "tweaked" it, and she would be back. We're going to miss her tremendously she brought passion and energy to everything she did in. Although the dismissal left the Commodores with. KNOXVILLE Shea Ralph and Brinae Alexander agreed: Despite the scoreboard in Vanderbilt's 66-52 loss to Tennessee, Sunday was one of the Commodores' best performances in Ralph's first season as coach of the Commodores. During the four years she played full or partial seasons, UConn had a record of 13010. Men's basketball assistant coach Glen Miller received just over $312,600 in compensation. Reach Joe Spears at jspears2@gannett.com or 731-343-4923. Justin Hershey, Sports Editor February 23, 2022 When Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph encountered Tom Garrick more than 15 years ago, she was impressed. And he previously served as Vanderbilt associate head coach under Melanie Balcomb from 2009-15, reaching the NCAA Tournaments five times. UConn assistant Shea Ralph named Vanderbilt women's basketball coach, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. In 2005, Earley was an All-SEC first-team selection and candidate for the Naismith Trophy. Ralph was the subject of a spirited recruiting battle, a natural consequence of her abilities leading to national high school player of the year honors. The West End just got another dose of eastern NCs finest! After Lee hired Ralph as Vanderbilt's women's basketball coach in 2021, she relayed the story. "I am so excited to work alongside our amazing community in elevating our womens basketball program back to an elite level.. Exclusive, subscriber-only content and weekly email newsletters. The Commodores were 4-4 in 2020-21. Uconn won the Big East Regular season championship and the post-season Big East tournament championship all four years.