Former
JCSU Assistant Named Gardner-Webb Head Coach
October 17, 2003
BOILING SPRINGS --- Serena King will take over as head coach
of the Gardner-Webb University women’s basketball team,
Vice President for Athletics Chuck Burch announced Thursday.
King served as the associate head coach for the Bulldogs last
season.
Serena King
King takes over as the Runnin’ Bulldogs’ 10th
head coach after six years of experience as an assistant. In
her role as associate head coach last season, King was in charge
of recruiting, scheduling and coaching the post players. Gardner-Webb
finished the season 5-22, missing the Atlantic Sun Conference
Tournament by just one game. The Bulldogs had guards Casey
Collins and Katie Gravel earn conference player-of-the-week
honors, while Shameka Smith was named to the All-Freshmen Team.
GWU also had three players named to the A-Sun All-Academic
Team and guard Ruth Hammond was an NSCA Strength and Conditioning
All-American.
King, a native of Mt. Sterling, Ky., also served as an assistant
at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro from 1997
to 1998, at Johnson C. Smith University from 1998 to 2001 and
at High Point University from 2001 to 2002.
“Serena was well schooled in all aspects of college
basketball due to her experience in [Coach] Lynn Agee’s
program at UNC Greensboro,” Burch said. “The program
will benefit from the exceptional enthusiasm that Serena has
already begun to display as head coach here at Gardner-Webb.”
A 1998 graduate of UNCG, King played for the Spartans from
1993 to 1996 before assuming her role as a student assistant
coach. From there she moved to Johnson C. Smith, where she
coached the post players and handled administrative duties,
evaluated recruits and organized travel and film exchange.
The Golden Bulls posted a 56-28 record in King’s three
years as an assistant at Johnson C. Smith, including a school-record
22 wins in 1999-2000.
After her stint at Johnson C. Smith, King went to High Point
in 2001, where she coached the post players and served as the
recruiting coordinator, organizing and scheduling recruiting
trips and evaluating and recruiting talent. The Panthers took
on three top-25 teams in King’s short tenure at High
Point and posted a 15-16 record against the 25th toughest schedule
in Division I. The Panthers won their first-ever Division I
tournament while King was an assistant, taking the SW Texas
Thanksgiving Tournament.
King, 28, coached three players that were named second team
all-conference in her year at High Point, and had one player
named to the conference all-academic team.
During her playing career at UNCG, King was named to the Big
South Conference All-Rookie Team for the 1993-94 season and
posted an impressive three-year record of 55-32. The Spartans
won the Big South Conference regular season championship all
three of King’s years on the team.
As a student coach in 1997-98, King helped guide the Spartans
to a 21-6 record, the Southern Conference tournament championship
and an NCAA Division I tournament berth. That 1997-98 team
was also ranked 18th in the nation academically by the Women’s
Basketball Coaches Association.
