Tracy Anderson
Head Women's Basketball Coach
Department: Athletics
Phone #: 316-942-4291, ext. 2218
E-mail: AndersonTr@newmanu.edu
Office #: OS211
Tracy Anderson enters her second season at the helm of the Newman Women’s Basketball Team and one needs only to look as far as the roster to see two significant changes for the 2007-08 squad; depth and size. Eleven newcomers join a team that a year ago only suited 8 players for a 30 game season. Change isn’t anything new to Anderson as her 18 year coaching career shows her ability to embrace the challenges of rebuilding programs and flourishing in those situations. An entire new team, a new division and a new conference are just a few of the challenges the 2007-08 team will face. This young squad will be entering the Heartland Conference and playing a full NCAA DII schedule for the first time in the history of Newman Athletics.

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.

As a defensive coach, Anderson’s teams have always shown a penchant for stingy defense. The 2004-05 UTPA team held their opponents to a record low 57 pts. per game and the Lady Broncs were ranked in the nation’s top 25 in field goal percentage allowed, as their opponents connected on a mere 36.3 percent from the floor. That same year, the Lady Broncs broke the school record for wins in a season and was 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.

"Newman University is a premiere academic institution and I believe that with hard work we will meet the challenges that NCAA Division-II has to offer and make us not just the only private D-II program in Kansas, but 'the premiere' private program in the region," said Anderson.

Diana Couch
Assistant Women's Basketball Coach
Department: Athletics
Phone #: 316-942-4291, ext. 2187
E-mail: CouchD@newmanu.edu
Office #: OS214
Diana Couch will be entering her first season as the Assistant Coach for the Newman Jets. Coach Couch recently made the move to Newman University after spending a brief time at Dodge City Community College where she worked as an Assistant Coach/Residential Assistant. Prior to Dodge, Coach Couch spent the past three seasons (2004-2007) as the Head Coach at Neosho County Community College where she also temporarily served as Director of Residential Life. During her time with the Lady Panthers she implemented a tough defensive philosophy that allowed the Lady Panthers to level the playing field and challenge the top teams in the conference setting school records along the way. During 2001-2004 Coach Couch served as the assistant coach/recruiting coordinator for Independence Community College while serving as Director of Residential Life. At Independence Coach Couch helped to turn around a struggling program that went 10-21 the first season to a record of 22-9, Conference Runner-up and a Region 6 Final Four appearance. Prior to coaching in Kansas she served as the assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Brevard Community College in Melbourne, Florida from 1999-2001. Coach Couch’s high school coaching career includes two years as a varsity assistant coach at Eau Gallie High School in Melbourne, Florida. Prior to that, she served four years as a varsity assistant coach at Titusville High School, where she also worked as a substitute teacher. Coach Couch played an integral part of the transition of the Titusville basketball program, helping the Lady Terriers to establish a winning tradition. Coach Couch has coached several 18 and under and 21 and under AAU teams leading the Women’s 21 and under AAU team to a second place finish in the 2000 AAU National Championship and the Women’s Open Division AAU team to a third place finish in 2001 AAU National Championship.

As a recruiting coordinator, Coach Couch's recruiting style has lead her to recruit athletes that have proven to continually receive honors such as, Academic Athlete, All Conference, All Region and even Kodak All American Nominations. In addition to her duties Coach Couch has served as the academic coordinator for her teams, who under her supervision have been Nationally ranked by the WBCA (Women's Basketball Coaches Association) Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll. Coach Couch has also worked as an evaluator for Infosport, a women’s pro combine for athletes seeking to continue their playing careers at a professional level.

Comment by Head Coach Tracy Anderson: “I am ecstatic and extremely fortunate to have Coach Couch join our staff and help make the Division II transition. Her contributions have been immeasurable in a short time already, as is evident with our player development. She is a seasoned coach with connections in the talent rich Jayhawk Junior College pool and throughout the state of Florida. Besides her recruiting background, her experience will be invaluable for the development of a very young and inexperienced team. She is proving to be as valuable as any young lady I have recruited. She will undoubtedly not only make us a better team and program, but she has already made me a better coach.”