third-year head coach anthony levrets coaches...

COACHES AND STAFF

U T A H B A S K E T B A L L

Third-year head coach Anthony Levrets (right), assistant coach Willette White (left) and director of operations JD Gustin (center).

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U T A H B A S K E T B A L L C O A C H E S A N D S T A F F

Head CoachU T A H B A S K E T B A L L C O A C H E S A N D S T A F F

3RD YEAR AT UTAH

ANTHONY LEVRETSUtah women’s basketball head coach Anthony Levrets enters his third season at the helm, continuing Utah’s tradition of success by leading the Utes to postseason appearances in each of his first two years.

Levrets ushered Utah into the Pac-12 era in 2011-12, and the Utes reached the second round of the WNIT. Michelle Plouffe earned All-American honors and both Plouffe and Taryn Wicijowski earned all-conference accolades. Both players ranked in the top 10 in the conference in both scoring and rebounding. Janita Badon was 18th in the nation in assists per game. Serving as interim head coach in 2010-11, Levrets guided a young team to an 18-17 record that included four-straight wins in the Mountain West Conference Tournament. The Utes, a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament, hung tough with

No. 2 seed and eventual NCAA runner-up Notre Dame, before eventually falling 67-54 in the first round. Levrets was awarded the job permanently on March 23, 2011. Levrets is in his sixth season at Utah, serving as an assistant coach during his first three years on the bench. During Levrets’ time as an assistant, Utah reached the NCAA Tournament in 2008 and 2009, reaching the second round in 2009 with a record 60-30 win over Villanova in the first round. The 2008 Utes went undefeated in conference play (16-0) and were a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Levrets has coached four All-Americans with the Utes in Leilani Mitchell, Morgan Warburton, Kalee Whipple and Plouffe. Mitchell is in her fifth season in the WNBA while Mitchell and Warburton each earned MWC Player of the Year honors. Other award winners include back-to-back MWC Freshman of the Year honorees Wicijowski and Plouffe. Levrets came to Utah after five years as an assistant coach for the Southern Oregon University men’s basketball team. In addition to his coaching duties, he served as SOU’s director of recruiting, player development and scouting. He helped the team reach the quarterfinals of the 2005 NAIA Division II national tournament and earn a No. 1 national ranking during the season. He assisted in coaching the 2006 National Player of the Year, Shea Washington. While at SOU, Levrets was also the head women’s basketball coach for the Oregon Select AAU basketball team. Prior to his coaching stints in Oregon, Levrets was a player/coach for the Hamamatsu Daigaku, a Japan Division I club team. Levrets’ first two turns on the bench were with coaching legends Gordie James and Jim Boutin. From 1999-2001, Levrets was on James’ staff at Willamette, with his coaching start coming in 1996 at Lane Community College, alongside Boutin. Levrets played college ball at Southwestern Oregon Community College from 1992-93. His playing career was cut short due to a back injury while playing for Lane CC during the 1995-96 campaign. Born in Eugene, Ore., Levrets was raised in Bandon where he graduated from Bandon High. Levrets is married to the former Sarah Barrett. They have a five-year old daughter, Caiden Liél, in addition to two-year old son Kyler Bradley.

COACHING EXPERIENCEHead Coach: Utah (2010-present)Assistant Coach: Utah (2007-2010)Assistant Coach: Southern Oregon (2002-2007)Player/Coach: Hamamatsu Daigaku (2001-02)Assistant Coach: Willamette (1999-2001)Assistant Coach: Lane College (1996-1999)

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Assistant CoachC O A C H E S A N D S T A F F U T A H B A S K E T B A L LC O A C H E S A N D S T A F F U T A H B A S K E T B A L L

Velaida Harris begins her fourth season at Utah and her third as an assistant coach. Previously, she served as the Director of Operations.

Harris serves as co-recruiting coordinator for the Utes. Her on-court responsibilities include perimeter player development, practice instruction, and scouting. She also works as the team’s administrative liaison, in addition to managing marketing and community relations. On the AAU circuit, Harris was the Program Director and coach of the Nike sponsored Portland Elite Basketball Organization (PEBO) for eight years, heading the selection and evaluation of players throughout Oregon and SW Washington. An overwhelming 80% of the seniors in her program went on to play college basketball.

Harris served as a coach at the prestigious Nike All-America Camp three times (2000, 2002 and 2004). Prior to Utah, Harris spent two years at the University of Oregon as an assistant coach and Director of Basketball Operations. Harris was the head girls basketball coach at Lake Oswego High School from 2004-06. She directed the program to two state playoff berths, including a fourth-place finish at the OSAA State Championships during the 2005-06 season. In her two years at Lake Oswego, Harris compiled a 40-15 (.727) record. She also coordinated camps, clinics, and fundraising activities at Lake Oswego High. Harris directed the 32-team Nike-Laker Interstate Shootout tournament, which drew teams throughout the west coast. Harris spent three years as the Assistant Director of Youth Sports for the Lake Oswego School District, overseeing all youth sport programs in the 13 school district and coordinating the high school club sports. Harris was also the head coach at Lincoln Senior High School from 1997-04, leading the program to six state playoff berths, three trips to the state championship tournament and three league titles, en route to a 123-52 (.700) record. Harris has directed various camps and clinic across the country for professional women and NBA players. She was the head assistant coach for the Portland Chinooks, a semi-professional men’s basketball team. Harris played her collegiate ball at Portland State from 1989-1993. She graduated from Portland State with a B.S. in Liberal Studies. Velaida and her husband Jerry have been married for 17 years. The couple has three children - Christaen (15), Gabrielle (13) and Sierra (11).

4TH YEAR AT UTAH

VELAIDA HARRIS

COACHING EXPERIENCEAssistant Coach: Utah (2010-present)Director of Operations: Utah (2008-09)Assistant Coach and Director of Operations: Oregon (2006-08)Head Girls Basketball Coach: Lake Oswego High School (2004-06)Head Girls Basketball Coach: Lincoln Senior High School (1997-04)

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Assistant CoachU T A H B A S K E T B A L L C O A C H E S A N D S T A F F

10TH YEAR AT UTAH

MATT LEGERSKIMatt Legerski is in his 10th season as an assistant coach at Utah. He has helped coach the Utes to five NCAA appearances, including an Elite Eight showing in 2006. Legerski has also been part of four Mountain West Conference regular season championships, three MWC tournament titles and three WNIT appearances.

Legerski’s responsibilities include post player development, practice instruction, assisting the strength and conditioning coach, overall coordination of video scouting and junior college recruiting. Through his video scouting responsibilities, he has helped make Utah one of the top defensive teams in the nation. The Utes have finished in the top 30 nationally in scoring

defense in seven of his nine seasons. Legerski returned to Utah after spending one year as an assistant with the men’s basketball team at Utah Valley under former Ute men’s coach Dick Hunsaker. While with the Wolverines, Legerski coordinated and supervised the strength and conditioning program, film breakdown and opponent scouting. He also assisted with individual skill workouts and on-the-floor coaching. Legerski comes from a family of coaches. His father was a longtime boys coach at Rock Springs (Wyo.) High School. In addition, he is the nephew of Wyoming women’s basketball coach Joe Legerski. He has worked as a camp instructor at Utah, Colorado and Wyoming. Legerski played two years at Western Wyoming from 1996-98. He worked as a team manager with the Utes from 1998-2001. Legerski graduated from Utah in 2001 with a bachelor’s in exercise sport science.

COACHING EXPERIENCEAssistant Coach: Utah (2003-present) Assistant Coach: UVSC (2002-03)Freshman Boys Head Coach: Rock Springs (Wyo.) High School (2001-02)


Assistant CoachC O A C H E S A N D S T A F F U T A H B A S K E T B A L LC O A C H E S A N D S T A F F U T A H B A S K E T B A L L

Willette White enters her second season as an assistant coach at Utah, bringing over 28 years of coaching experience to the program. She serves as the co-recruiting coordinator, academic liaison and sports information liaison with an on-court focus on perimeter player development, scouting and practice instruction.

White comes to Utah after three seasons at Oregon (2006-09). Prior to her stint at Oregon she spent six seasons at the helm for the Northeastern Huskies, guiding the program’s transition from the America East Conference to the Colonial Athletic Association. White spent seven seasons as associate head coach at UCLA, joining the staff in 1993. The highlight of her time in Westwood was the 1998-99 campaign, when the Bruins won their first Pac-10 championship and advanced to the national

quarterfinals as a No. 3 seed. It was UCLA’s first-ever trip to the Elite Eight, and the Bruins finished with a mark of 26-8 after falling in the West Region final. White helped mold several standout players at UCLA, most notably Maylana Martin, who was a first round pick of the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx. White spent eight seasons at Washington prior to her stint at UCLA. During her time in Seattle, the Huskies compiled a 181-59 record (.754), won three conference titles, and reached the NCAA Tournament seven times. In 1990 the Huskies were Pac-10 co-champs, earned a top seed in the NCAA tournament Mideast Region, finished with a school-record 28 wins and were ranked third in the nation at the end of the year, the team’s highest ranking ever. The Huskies handed national champion Stanford its only loss of the season. White has also spent time with the USA Basketball program. She served as an assistant on UConn coach Geno Auriemma’s staff for the 2001 U19 Junior World Championships, helping lead the team to a bronze medal. She also spent time on the USA Basketball Women’s Collegiate Committee from 2001-04. A native of Tacoma, Wash., White was a standout performer at Clover Park High, graduating in 1977. From there, she attended Green River Community College for two years before transferring to Idaho. She led the team to back-to-back NCWSA Northwest Region Titles (1980-81) and a pair of berths in the AIAW Division II national tournament. A two-time AIAW All-Region Team honoree, she was selected as a Division II All-American in 1981. When she graduated, she held career records for scoring average (11.5), steals (169), and assists (356), as well as single-season marks for steals and assists, and single-game steals and assists records. In 1992, White was inducted into the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges’ Hall of Fame. She entered the Vandal Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008. White received a Bachelor’s Degree in general studies from Idaho in 1982 and went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in athletic administration from Ohio State in 1984.

2ND YEAR AT UTAH

WILLETTE WHITE

COACHING EXPERIENCEAssistant Coach: Utah (2011-present)Assistant Coach: Oregon (2006-09)Head Coach: Northeastern (2000-06)Associate Head Coach: UCLA (1993-2000)Assistant Coach: Washington (1985-93)Assistant Coach: Iowa State (1984-85)Graduate Assistant Coach: Ohio State (1982-84)

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Basketball Staff

DIRECTOR OF BASKETBALL OPERATIONS 2ND YEAR

JD GUSTINJD Gustin is in his second season as Utah’s director of basketball operations. He brings a wealth of basketball experience to the Utes, previously serving as head women’s basketball coach at Westminster College. In his seven seasons at the helm, Gustin coached the Griffins to five-consecutive appearances at the NAIA National Championships.

Gustin amassed a record of 146-83 at Westminster. In 2006-07, Gustin led the team to its first-ever NAIA tournament. Westminster advanced to the quarterfinals of the NAIA Championships for the first time in school history with a school-record 28 wins in 2010-11. He won three Frontier Conference championships, including a perfect 14-0 conference season in 2008-09, and coached seven players to All-America honors. Gustin was a three-time Frontier Conference Coach of the Year. Before making his way to Salt Lake City, Gustin was the women’s basketball assistant coach at Rocky Mountain College in his hometown of Billings, Mont. He also served as assistant athletic director, sports information director, and JV coach during his two years at RMC.

In 2000-01, Gustin was an assistant coach for the Billings RimRockers of the International Basketball Association, a developmental men’s professional organization located in Billings. Gustin served as assistant women’s coach at his alma mater, Western Montana College, in 1999-2000. During his time there, Western won the Frontier Conference tournament and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament for the first time. Gustin, who played basketball at Western Montana from 1995-97, served as a student assistant coach for a year following the conclusion of his playing career. He graduated from Western Montana with a degree in secondary education (biology/history). Gustin received his master’s degree in education from Westminster. JD and his wife Trish have two girls, Avery (seven) and Reese (five), and one-year-old son Drew.

EXPERIENCEDirector of Operations: Utah (2011-present)Head Coach: Westminster College (2004-2011)Assistant Coach: Westminster College (2003-04)Assistant Head Coach: Rocky Mountain College (2001-03)Assistant Coach: Billings RimRockers (2000-01)Assistant Coach: Montana Western (1999-2000)

VIDEO COORDINATOR 2ND YEAR

MORGAN WARBURTON-NELSONFormer Utah women’s basketball All-American Morgan Warburton-Nelson is in her second year as the Utes video coordinator.

Warburton-Nelson earned honorable mention All-America honors from both the Associated Press and WBCA during her senior season. The 2009 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year and three-time first-team all-MWC player ended her career with 1,886 career points, which ranks fifth all-time at Utah. She set several school records for free-throw shooting, including career percentage (88.3), career free throws (439), free throws in a season (161), free throws in a game (16) and season percentage (90.4).

Warburton-Nelson became the fourth WNBA draftee in Utah history when she was a third-round pick by the Sacramento Monarchs in 2009. She spent two years playing in a Spanish league. Warburton-Nelson married Tyler Nelson in May, 2012.


AdministrationC O A C H E S A N D S T A F F U T A H B A S K E T B A L L

Dr. Chris Hill has spent the last quarter of a century developing Utah athletics into a national player. Among his many accomplishments was his instrumental role in Utah’s invitation into the Pac-12 Conference in the summer of 2010.

Hill, just 37 years old when he was appointed as Utah’s director of athletics in 1987, has been at the helm of the department for two BCS bowl wins, nine NCAA team championships (four by the gymnastics team and five by the ski team) and NCAA runner-up finishes in men’s basketball (1998), football (2008), gymnastics (2000, 2006, 2007, 2008) and skiing (eight total). He has hired three coaches who became a National Coach of the Year in their sport: football coaches Urban Meyer (2004) and Kyle Whittingham (2008), and men’s basketball coach Rick Majerus (1998). Hill, himself, has received national acclaim, most recently as one of five 2011 finalists for the prestigious Sports Business Award for Athletic Director of the Year by SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily. He was also the 2011 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Under Armour West Region Athletic Director of the Year. Hill has served on several national boards, including the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee (2004-09), chair of the NCAA Championships/Competition Cabinet (1997-98) and the NCAA Management Council Administrative Committee. He was on the NACDA’s executive committee from 2002-06. Among the events leading up to Utah’s historic invitation to join the Pac-12 were BCS bowl wins over Pitt in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl as the first team from a non-automatic qualifying conference to play in a BCS bowl game, and over Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl. The Utes are 11-4 in bowl games during Hill’s tenure. Utah’s other athletic programs have also thrived under his leadership. The men’s basketball team has played in 13 NCAA Tournaments—advancing to the Sweet 16 five times and the Elite Eight twice. In 1998, the Runnin’ Utes advanced to the NCAA Championship game against Kentucky. The women’s basketball team has 15 NCAA appearances, playing in the Sweet 16 twice and the Elite Eight in 2006. The gymnastics team leads the nation in NCAA Super Six appearances with 18—all during Hill’s term—and was the attendance leader for all women’s sports in 2010 and 2011. The 62-year-old New Jersey native has served in five capacities at the U., starting in 1973-74 as a graduate assistant basketball coach on Bill Foster’s

staff. After coaching boys’ basketball at Salt Lake’s Granger High from 1975-79 (he was the 1975 4A Coach of the Year), Hill returned to the U. as an assistant coach to Jerry Pimm (1979-81). From 1983-85, he taught in the University’s special education department before coming back to athletics as the Crimson Club director (1985-86). In 1987, he became the director of athletics. Hill was the executive director of United Cerebral Palsy of Utah from 1981-85, during which time he developed a housing project for people with severe physical disabilities. Hill’s awards, in addition to those listed previously, include: 2011 Utah YMCA Man of the Year, 2004 Mountain West Conference’s Commissioner’s Award, 1981 Milton Bennion Fellowship, 1984 Utah Recreation Therapy Association Outstanding Service award and 1996 Utah MS Sportsperson of the Year. Hill was inducted into the Jersey Shore Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2001, the National Consortium for Academics and Sports gave Hill its Degree Completion and Outreach and Community Service Honor Award. He currently serves on the Catholic Community Services Board of Directors. As an undergraduate, Hill won three letters in basketball at Rutgers and co-captained the 1971-72 team. His bachelor’s degree from Rutgers is in math education (1972). He holds a master’s in education (Utah, 1974), and a Ph.D. in educational administration (Utah, 1982). His wife Kathy, a faculty member in the U.’s Department of Special Education in severe disabilities, received the 2010 College of Education Service Award and the 2012 ASUU Student Choice Award for Excellence in Teaching. They have two children, Aly and Christopher; two granddaughters, Addie and Lily, and a grandson, Jack. Aly played soccer for the University of Oregon and has a master’s degree in social work from Utah. She is a social worker and teacher for students with disabilities in the Salt Lake City School District. Christopher has a bachelor’s degree in organizational communication and a law degree from the U.’s S.J. Quinney School of Law. He is employed by the Pac-12 Enterprises in San Francisco and is engaged to Darci Motoki.

ATHLETICS DIRECTOR / SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT 26TH YEAR

DR. CHRIS HILL

HIGHLIGHTSMen’s BasketballNCAA Tournament 13 timesFinal Four 1998 (runner-up)Elite Eight 1997, ’98Sweet 16 1991, ’96, ’97, ’98, ’05 Conference Champion 12 times

FootballBowl Record 11-4BCS Bowl Record 2-0Conference Champion 5 times

Women’s GymnasticsNCAA Champion 1990, ’92, ’94, ’95NCAA Runner-up 2000, ‘06, ‘07, ‘08NCAA Super Six 18 times

Women’s BasketballNCAA Tournament 15 timesElite Eight 2006Sweet 16 2001, ‘06Conference Champion 10 times

SkiingNCAA Champion 1988, ’93, ’96, ’97, 2003NCAA Runner-up 8 times

VolleyballNCAA Sweet 16 2001, ‘08NCAA Tournament 10 times

SoftballCollege World Series 1991, ’94NCAA Tournament 11 times

SoccerNCAA Tournament 5 times

BaseballNCAA Tournament 2009

HILL’S FACILITY LEGACYGeorge S. Eccles Tennis Center (1989)Ute Baseball Field (1994)Volleyball Crimson Court (1994)Ute Soccer Field (1995)Rice-Eccles Stadium (1998)Dumke Gymnastics Center (1998)Burbidge Athletics Academic Center (2001)Spence Eccles Field House (2004)Alex Smith Strength & Conditioning Center (2009)McCarthey Family Track & Field Complex (2010)McCarthey Football Practice Fields (2012)Ute Softball Stadium (2013)Football Center (2013)

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AdministrationU T A H B A S K E T B A L L C O A C H E S A N D S T A F F

PRESIDENT 1ST YEAR

DAVID W. PERSHING, Ph.D.

David W. Pershing proudly celebrates more than three decades of service to the University of Utah. Named Utah’s 15th President in 2012, President Pershing serves as the university’s chief executive leading a diverse team of faculty and staff at one of the world’s top research universities.

President Pershing joined the University of Utah as an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering in 1977. He was named a Presidential Young Investigator by the National Science Foundation in 1984, became Dean of the College of Engineering in 1987, and named a Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering in 1995. In 1998, Dr. Pershing was named Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs responsible for approximately 1,000

faculty and 25,000 students in the colleges of the main campus. Now as President, Dr. Pershing continues his commitment to the undergraduate experience with new initiatives and programs aimed at enriching academic excellence on campus. A gifted teacher and prolific researcher, President Pershing is the recipient of the University of Utah’s Distinguished Teaching and Distinguished Research Awards and the U’s Rosenblatt Prize for Excellence. He has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications, won more than 20 research grants totaling approximately $60 million, and earned five patents. He was named Engineering Educator of the Year by the Utah Engineering Council in 2002 and is a winner of the Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology. He was director of the University of Utah’s Center for Simulation of Accidental Fires and Explosions, fueled by a $40 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. President Pershing holds a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona, both in chemical engineering.

LIZ ABELSr. Associate A.D./Communications

DOUG KNUTHSr. Associate A.D./External Relations

MANNY HENDRIXAssistant A.D./

Major Gifts-Athletic Relations

ANN ARGUSTAssociate A.D./

Marketing

MARY BOWMAN Sr. Associate A.D./

Senior Woman Administrator

KYLE BRENNANSr. Associate A.D./

Administration

STEVE PYNEDirector of

Events and Facilities

KRIS GROSSExecutive Assistant to the

Athletics Director

WILLIAM SMITHFaculty

Representative

KATE CHARIPARAssistant A.D./

Compliance

ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT SENIOR STAFF

President David W. Pershing spoke at the Utah Athletics “Invest in Excellence” kickoff event last April.

third-year head coach anthony levrets coaches...

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