Ann Strother Joins CU Basketball Staff

BOULDER ? WNBA veteran and Colorado native Ann Strother has joined the University of Colorado women's basketball staff as the director of operations, CU head coach Kathy McConnell-Miller announced on Friday.

Strother, 23, is the third full-time staff member to hold the women's director of basketball operations position. She replaces Carla Morrow, who left CU earlier this fall for an assistant coach position at Xavier University.

Strother played the 2007 WNBA season with Indiana, averaging 2.3 points per game and hitting 40 percent from 3-point range, helping the Fever to a 21-13 record and a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.

She was a second-round draft pick by the Houston Comets in 2006, before being acquired by Phoenix in a draft-day trade. Strother played eight games with the Mercury as a rookie before joining the Fever in an off season trade. She also played professionally in Russia last winter and briefly in Spain, before joining the Buffaloes for this season.

Ann Strother
Courtesy: Pacers
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“I'm really excited to be back in Colorado and to be a part of this staff and team,” Strother said. “I feel like I can learn a lot from the staff, and as far as coaching, I can get a good idea of what it takes to be prepared for the Big 12 Conference and the competition we will face. It will also give me a good idea of what goes on behind the scenes as far as the business aspect, preparing for travel, hotels and things of that nature.”

A two-time All-Big East and WBCA All-District performer, Strother played four years at the University of Connecticut (2002-06) where her teams compiled a record of 125-18 and won two NCAA championships (2003-04), two Big East regular season titles (2003-04) and two Big East Tournament crowns (2005-06).

She led UConn in scoring as a senior at 13.6 points per game and her 86 3-point field goals were the fourth-best single-season total in team history. She ranks seventh on the Huskies' all-time scoring list with 1,699 points and is also second in 3-point field goals (290), fifth in games played (143), ninth in blocked shots (120) and 10^th in assists (418).

“She's going to make an immediate impact on this program,” McConnell-Miller said. “Her leadership and her ability to share her experiences as an elite college player and as a professional will benefit our players in many ways. She's an exceptional young woman that has a great mind for the game and a great future in collegiate coaching. We're honored to have Ann return to Colorado to be a part of the great tradition of CU Basketball.”

Strother, a native of Castle Rock, Colo., was the 2002 Naismith, USA Today, WBCA, Parade Magazine and Gatorade National High School Player of the Year for Highlands Ranch High School. A two-time Ms. Colorado Basketball, Strother averaged 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals per game as a senior and led nationally ranked Highlands Ranch to back-to-back Class 5A State Championships (2001-02). Strother was the Co-MVP of the first McDonald's High School Girls All-American game and played for the 2001 USA Junior World Qualifying team.

Strother graduated from UConn in December 2006 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. She was a three-time Big East Academic All-Star and a 2006 CoSIDA Academic All-American.

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