NU Jets Women's Basketball Coaches

Newman Jets Women's Basketball Coaches

Tracy Anderson: Head Women's Basketball Coach; Department: Athletics; Email: AndersonTr@newmanu.edu; Phone #: 316-942-4291, ext. 2218; Office #: OS211; Tracy Anderson enters her third season at the helm of the Newman Women’s Basketball and for the first time will benefit from a sense of stability. Last season Anderson coached 11 newcomers and only suited eight players for a 30 game season her first year in 2006-07. Change isn’t anything new to Anderson as her 19 year coaching career shows her ability to embrace the challenges of rebuilding programs and flourishing in those situations.

Prior to becoming the Jets head coach, Anderson served as the interim head coach for one year and the asociate head coach at NCAA DI University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) for three seasons. With Anderson as interim head coach, UTPA recorded their first and only win over a Big XII opponent by defeating the University of Nebraska. During Anderson’s stint, where she also served as the academic coordinator for the squad, the women’s basketball team captured many honors including: two Image Awards for community involvement, Stacy Gooden became the first student-athlete to be named valedictorian of UTPA, two Lady Broncs captured the Ann LaMantia Award for Academic Excellence, and every team finished with at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA for the season.

Anderson’s teams have always shown a penchant for stingy defense. The 2004-05 UTPA team held their opponents to a record low 57 points per game and the Lady Broncs were ranked in the nation’s top 25 in field goal percentage allowed (36.3%). That same year, the Lady Broncs broke the school record for wins in a season and were selected as one of the top 30 turn-around teams among all NCAA Division I programs. During Anderson’s four years, the Lady Broncs allowed the fewest points per game average in school history and in a three year stretch the Lady Broncs recorded the most wins in the 22-year history of the program. As the program’s post coach, four Lady Bronc post players earned all-independent honors in three years.

Before helping to turn around the UTPA program, Anderson served as the head coach at NAIA Bethel College for three seasons where she tied the school record for most wins in her second season and also recorded the first back-to-back victories over nationally ranked opponents. All three of Anderson’s teams maintained above a 3.0 GPA and at least two players earned All-Conference honors each of her three years.

Anderson has coached at every level and her contributions have been evident. She began her coaching career at Ell-Saline High School and then Salina South High School where she also served as head volleyball coach, track and field coach and English teacher. Her college coaching career began as an assistant at Cowley County Community College where the Tigers were nationally ranked both years and in the top five in the country for team GPA.

It was a natural fit to coach at Newman as Anderson played her entire career at Marymount College, a private Catholic College in Salina, Kan. As a Lady Spartan, Anderson was named to the All-Decade Team for the 1980’s and was an All-District 10 Honoree twice. During her senior campaign, Anderson recorded the only quadruple double in school history for either men’s or women’s and was the starting guard for the 1986-87 team that went 30-4 and ranked 4th in the country.

Caitlin Demarest

Assistant Women's Basketball Coach

Department: Athletics

Email: DemarestC@newmanu.edu

Phone #: 316-942-4291, ext. 2187

Office #: OS202

Former Pittsburg State point guard Caitlin Demarest is in her first season as assistant coach for the Newman women's basketball program.

"We are excited to have Caitlin join us," Anderson said. "Her experience at the NCAA Division II level in the MIAA will be invaluable to us. She has shown a tenacity to outwork people on the court, which will help us move toward future Heartland Conference Championships."

Demarest is a 2008 graduate of Pittsburg State University, where was the starting point guard in 2008. She led the Gorillas to a 20-9 record, and led the team in assists (81), and assist-to-turnover ratio (81-64). She also averaged 6.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. Prior to her time at Pitt State, Demarest spent a year at Cochise College (Ariz.), then transferred to Dodge City Community College where she played one season for the Conquistadors. Demarest was a multi-sport athlete during her high school days at Eldorado High School in Albuquerque, N.M., where she won back-to-back state track championships, and earned all-state honors in soccer and basketball. She capped her high school career by being named the Eldorado High School Female Athlete of the Year in 2003 and 2004, and was named Albuquerque Journal Female Athlete of the Year in 2004 as a senior.

"Caitlin is an outstanding addition to the athletic department at Newman University," Pittsburg State Head Women's Basketball Coach Lane Lord said. "Caitlin has the natural leadership skills necessary to become a successful coach. As a point guard, Caitlin was the second coach on the floor at all times. She has a knowledge of the game and the fundamentals necessary to play and teach basketball at the Division II level and at Newman University. I am excited to watch her continued growth in the game of basketball at Newman."

In her spare time, Caitlin enjoys watching movies. Demarest resides in Wichita.