For Immediate Release: Thursday, March 13, 2003
Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Sports Information Director, (956) 381-2240

LADY BRONCS NAME DEANN CRAFT HEAD COACH

EDINBURG, TX-DeAnn Craft, who has compiled 105 victories in seven years as a head coach at the collegiate level, has 16 years of collegiate coaching experience, and has also coached at the professional level, has been named head coach of The University of Texas-Pan American's women's basketball team.

Craft, who joined Texas-Pan American after recording 39 wins in four years at the NCAA Division I level as head coach at Lamar University of the Southland Conference through the 2001-2002 season, replaces Interim Head Coach Tracy Anderson, who coached the Lady Broncs during the past season. At UTPA this past season, Craft served as the top assistant coach as well as recruiting coordinator, while handling the Lady Broncs' offense.

Under Craft's leadership, Lamar went 12-16 in 2000-2001, finishing 10-10 in the Southland Conference, their best conference finish ever. Under Craft's direction, the Cardinals posted wins over NCAA post-season qualifiers Stephen F. Austin, Rice, and Texas-Arlington. Under her tutelage, Shawnta Vanzant went on to become the first Lamar University women's basketball player to be chosen as Southland Conference Player of the Year. Vanzant also earned the distinction of being the only Southland Conference player ever to be invited to the Women's National Basketball Association Pre-Draft Camp. During Craft's four-year tenure, she had 21 players named to the prestigious Southland Conference Commissioner's List.

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 nation's top ten. At Central Florida, she averaged 20.9 points per game as a senior and was ranked among the top 40 players nationally in scoring. Craft also led all NCAA Division I women's basketball players with a free throw percentage of 92.6 per cent.
Craft earned a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice from Central Florida at the conclusion of her playing career.

Beginning her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Central Florida of the Trans-America (now Atlantic Sun) Conference, Craft then served as an assistant for four years under Linda Hargrove at Missouri Valley Conference power Wichita State, where she was the top assistant and recruiting coordinator.

Craft then compiled a 66-30 record as the head coach at Cowley County Community College in Arkansas City, KS for three years. Her team was ranked nationally by the National Junior College Athletic Association in two of those three seasons. She was the first coach in CCCC history (male or female) to win 25 games in her initial season at Cowley County, and all three of her teams finished among the top three teams nationally in grade-point average.

Moving on to the professional ranks, Craft served as an assistant coach for the Richmond Rage, who advanced to the finals of the American Basketball League playoffs before losing in the seventh game of the championships to Columbus. When the ABL folded, Craft accepted a position as the top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at San Diego State of the Western Athletic Conference (now Mountain West) for a year before becoming head coach at Lamar.

"Obviously it's a big challenge, and I am very committed to bringing a competitive women's basketball program to UTPA and to the Rio Grande Valley," said Craft. "Rebuilding programs have been a forte of mine, and I'm not afraid of the work that's going to be required. We need to immediately address the task of recruiting, by building a broad base of competitive players, and we also need to make sure that our schedule remains competitive and challenging, but does not hurt our confidence."

Craft said that her year at Texas-Pan American was a big plus. "Being here was one of the biggest bonuses, as it allowed me to see the quality of everything at UTPA from the inside," Craft said. "I was able to see how committed the academic program was, and that's incredible. I was also able to see the commitment of the administration, because no one wants to see this program succeed more than the administration itself. You can't put a value on things like that. The commitment we have academically, and the thoroughness of our athletic compliance program is going to allow the coaching staff to spend their time coaching and recruiting. We want to raise the level of our talent, without sacrificing the character and chemistry of the players we have here."

"DeAnn Craft brings a wealth of collegiate coaching and recruiting experience to The University of Texas-Pan American and our women's basketball program," said UTPA Director of Athletics William J. Weidner. "Having coached at all levels including the professional ranks, she is the most experienced person to be named as our head women's basketball coach in the history of the program. As a former head coach at the NCAA Division I level, Coach Craft has a true understanding of what it takes and what needs to be done in order to develop a successful winning women's basketball program. From an organizational standpoint, she is well-prepared to lay the groundwork for a strong foundation upon which to build a successful future."

"Coach Craft is an outstanding teacher of the game," Weidner added. "Her teams are well-prepared and highly motivated to succeed. Her ability to effectively prepare her teams for each opponent they face has earned the respect of her peers in the profession."

"Coach Craft's prior experience as a head coach and recruiting coordinator has prepared her well to be able to establish a systematic approach in regards to recruiting organization that will insure that our program is in position to successfully locate, recruit, and sign talented student-athletes on a local, regional and national level," Weidner said. "During her career, she has established strong recruiting ties in the state of Texas as well on a national level. Equally important, Coach Craft has demonstrated a strong commitment towards academic achievement and the graduation of her program's student-athletes. While at Lamar University, 21 student-athletes were named to the Southland Conference Commissioner's List for academic achievement. Additional evidence of her commitment to academic integrity is the fact that all three of her teams at Cowley County Community College finished among the top three teams nationally in grade-point average."

"Since her arrival at UTPA, Coach Craft has been an integral part of our program's progress, particularly during the second half of the season," said Weidner. "She has earned the trust and respect of our women's basketball team members. Her hiring has assured our program of maintaining the continuity that our administration and student-athletes value, while also positioning our women's basketball program to continue to move forward from what has been established this season."

"We are very excited about the future of Lady Bronc basketball," said Weidner. "Our administration remains committed to developing a nationally-respected and competitive NCAA Division I women's basketball program. We look forward to that future under the leadership of DeAnn Craft as we congratulate her on her appointment as the new head women's basketball coach at UTPA."

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