ANTHONY PORTLEY NAMED ASSISTANT WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH

COMMERCE, Texas – Texas A&M University-Commerce head women's basketball coach Nicole Anderson today announced the hiring of Anthony Portley as the Lions' assistant basketball coach. Portley will handle player development as well as serving as the recruiting and travel coordinator and camp director.

"Anthony Portley has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the coaching profession," said coach Anderson. "His familiarity with the Lone Star Conference as well as the local communities will significantly help our program achieve. He has an outstanding ability to recruit and develop players. I am thrilled to have Anthony join the women's basketball program".

A Greenville native, Portley brings nearly 20 years of coaching experience as both an assistant and head coach. He most recently served as the head women's basketball coach at Texas College in Tyler from 2007-09. Prior to his time in Tyler, Portley was the assistant basketball coach at Kimball High School in Dallas.

Portley's third stint as a head coach came at Saint Paul's College in Lawrenceville, Virginia from 2002-2005 as he led the Tigers to a fourth-place finish in the conference after being picked to finish last. Saint Paul's also ranked third in the nation in three-pointers made while the team experienced success in the classroom, compiling a team GPA of 3.299.

Prior to his time in Lawrenceville, Portley spent two seasons as the assistant basketball coach at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina (2000-02) as he helped lead the Lady Rams to their first conference tournament finals in 10 years with a winning scoring margin of 24.6 points per game. Portley also spent two seasons at Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia (1997-99) as the Lady Pirates captured the first Division I conference championship in school history.

Portley spent the 1996-97 season as the head coach at Western Texas College in Snyder after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Lone Star Conference rival West Texas A&M from 1994-96. While working with the Lady Buffs, he helped the team to a 53-8 record and a pair of LSC Championships as well as two NCAA Division II regional appearances.

He began his coaching career at Ranger College, serving as the head coach from two seasons from 1992-94. While there, Portley led the Rangers to the National Junior College regional tournament, finishing second in the Coach of the Year voting.

Portley graduated from Abilene Christian University in 1990, earning a dual degree in kinesiology and mathematics. He is also a 1985 graduate of Greenville High School and has spent the past three years as the President and CEO of D.A.B.B. Investments in Plano while also remaining active coaching AAU club basketball teams.