North Carolina State University Athletics
Former Wolfpack All-American Named Charlotte Sting Assistant Coach
4/11/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CHARLOTTE, April 5 -- Charlotte Sting Head Coach Anne Donovan announced that the Sting have hired Trudi Lacey as the team's assistant coach. Lacey comes to the Sting from USA Basketball where she was the assistant director of women's programs. Her primary role was to aide the assistant executive director for women's programs in the development, coordination and implementation of the USA Basketball women's programs, including the planning and execution of all women's trials, training camps and international competitions.
Lacey and Donovan's working relationship began in 1997 through their USA Basketball ties when Donovan was the assistant coach for the USA Women's World Championship Qualifying Team.
"Trudi Lacey is an experienced coach at every level," said Donovan. "Her head coaching experience as well as her tenure at USA Basketball have made Trudi the perfect choice for this position. Her work with the 2000 Olympic Team has enabled her to evaluate the best players both domestically and internationally. She is a tremendous individual who I have the utmost confidence in as we take the Sting into a new direction."
Prior to joining the USA Basketball staff in 1997, Lacey served for one-season (1996-97) as an assistant coach at the University of Maryland, and spent eight years (1989-96) as head coach at the University of South Florida. Selected the 1989 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year, Lacey left South Florida as the program's all-time winningest coach.
Lacey was also head coach for two years (1987-88) at NAIA Francis Marion College (S.C.) where her teams compiled a 53-12 record for an impressive .815 winning percentage. While at Francis Marion, her squads finished seventh (1987) and 16th (1988) in the NAIA Division II final national rankings.
Lacey also boasts of assistant coaching experience at Manhattan College (1981), James Madison (1982) and North Carolina State (1983-84).
As a collegian at North Carolina State University, Lacey was a four-time All-AIAW Tournament choice and a Kodak All-American. Twice named as N.C. State's team MVP, she is the only player in ACC history to earn first-team All-ACC honors four consecutive years.
