Nicole Anderson begins her thirdseason as the head women’s basketball coach at Texas A&MUniversity-Commerce.
Before coming to A&M-Commercein the fall of 2009, she spent the past five years as therecruiting coordinator and assistant coach at Division I memberLong Beach State University. Anderson also served as the CEO forHoop School, a non-profit organization located in Long Beach,Calif., which she founded in 2004. Hoop School teaches middle andelementary age students’ using fundamentals of basketball toimprove fitness and nutrition to combat childhood obesity.
For the last two summers, Andersonand the Hoop School Program have conducted basketball clinics forthe Japan Junior National Team and several junior college teams inShiga, Japan, where her coaching techniques and expertise is highlysought after.
While at Long Beach State, shehelped the team to victories over No. 15 Houston and No. 12 USC.Anderson coached eight all-conference players, including the playerof the year (Crystal McCutcheon) as well as an academicall-american (Lauren Sims). Anderson also coached and developedfirst team all-conference selection (Karina Figueroa), who went onto play with the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks. The Beach went onto win the Big West Conference title in 2004-05. Anderson oversawThe Beach’s defense that was ranked No. 13 in thecounry.
From 2002-2004, she was as anassistant coach at San Diego State University. While with theAztecs, she was in charge of guard development, heavily involved inrecuriting internationally, national and local talent as well aspractice planning, scouting and deveoloping successful gamestrategies. At SDSU, she had two all-conference guards under hertutelage.
She served as the head coach of theUniversity of New Haven during the 2001-02 season. Anderson coachedor recruited four-time all-conference selection (Phoenicia Wright),who was also an academic all-american and two more all-conferenceplayer s and three-time academic all-conference selection, AdelinaGentry, who currently serves as an assistant coach with the Lions.She spent the 2000-01 season at the University of San Diego, whereshe was involved with the recruiting and player development. Whileat the University of San Diego, she coached two first teamall-conference selections.
From 1993-1999, Anderson was headcoach at Francis Parker High School in San Diego, Calif., and ledthe team to three state CIF semifinals, a quarterfinal appearanceand a No. 3 state ranking. Six players went on to earn Division Ischolarships. She also taught history and physical educationclasses.
Upon her hiring, Texas A&MUniversity-Commerce President Dr. Dan Jones said “she bringssome new ideas, some new strategies, some enthusiasm, and a levelof vision to this program that we feel will propel it to the nextlevel.”
Anderson earned herbachelor’s degree from UCLA in 1993, where she starred on thebasketball team and was a four-year team captain, a Pac 10all-conference selection and named to the conference’sacademic honor roll. She was named one of the 15 greatest playersin UCLA women’s basketball history and a Naismith Awardcandidate as a senior, which is given to the top player in thecountry, and still ranks in the program’s top five in bothsteals and assists.
In 1991, Anderson represented theUnited States in the William Jones Cup in Taipei, Taiwan. Throughher leadership, the U.S. went on to win a bronze medal and she wasnamed to the all-tournament team. Anderson went on to play for theLos Angeles Sparks developmental team in 1997 before entering thecoaching ranks.
Anderson received hermaster’s degree in business administration in 2008 and iscurrently working on her doctorate in sports psychology.
