For Immediate Release: Monday, September 23, 2002   
Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Director of Athletic Media Relations, (956) 381-2240

CRAFT JOINS UTPA AS ASSISTANT WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACH

EDINBURG, TX–One of the most experienced staffs in the history of The University of Texas-Pan American women’s basketball program will be leading the Lady Broncs this season.

The former head coach at Lamar University, DeAnn Craft, who has compiled 108 victories as a head coach at the collegiate level, will join Texas-Pan American as an assistant to Interim Head Coach Tracy Anderson this season.

Craft compiled a 39-69 record in four years at Lamar. Her best season at LU was 2000-2001, when the Cardinals went 12-16, finishing 10-10 in the Southland Conference and tying for fifth place. Shawnta Vanzant of Lamar was the SLC Player of the Year. Vanzant was the first Lamar women’s basketball player to be so honored, and the conference finish was the best ever at LU.  

A native of Garden City, Kansas, Craft played at Garden City High School, where she became the first female athlete inducted into the GCHS Athletic Hall of Fame. She also played for Barton County Community College, where her team was ranked among the top ten in the nation, and at Central Florida, where she averaged 20.9 points per game as a senior and led the nation in free throw percentage.

Beginning her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Central Florida, Craft then served as an assistant for four years under Linda Hargrove at Wichita State. She then became the head coach at Cowley County Community College for three seasons, where her teams compiled a 66-30 record. Entering the professional ranks, Craft was an assistant coach for the Richmond Rage, who advanced to the finals of the American Basketball League playoffs before losing in the seventh game to Columbus. When the ABL folded, she served as an assistant coach at San Diego State for a year before accepting the head position at Lamar.

“I’m extremely impressed with the vision that (UTPA Athletic Director) Bill (Weidner) has in place for UTPA athletics,” said Craft. “It’s the right time for UTPA women’s basketball to really embrace the Rio Grande Valley. I was very impressed with Bill’s plans for athletics, and that, combined with the really deep respect I have for Tracy and her knowledge of the game, is a winning combination. When I came here and interviewed, I was impressed with the pride and leadership in the athletic programs, and when I met the players, they were very positive and showed that they are of high character. I saw a lot of positives here, and I thought it was a great fit.”                                                                                                                          
”It’s a great day for our women’s basketball program to have DeAnn join our staff,” said Anderson. “I am looking forward to having someone with her experience and passion for the game, which can help take our program to another level. I’m honored to have the opportunity to work together with her again. I think with DeAnn and (Assistant Coach) Kate (Galligan), we have as strong a staff as we could possibly have.”

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