Following up on a rumor that we posted last week…
Georgetown University Director of Athletics Lee Reed named Natasha Adair the new head coach of the women’s basketball program on Monday. Adair becomes the ninth women’s basketball head coach in the history of the program.
She comes to the Hilltop from the College of Charleston where she was at the helm for two seasons. However, Adair is no stranger to the Georgetown program after serving as an assistant coach for six seasons (1998-2004).
"I’m very pleased to introduce Natasha as the new head coach for our women’s basketball program," Reed said. "She is a rising star in the coaching ranks and the success each of her schools have had is a testament to the hard work she has put in with her student-athletes. She will ensure that our young women develop both on and off the floor and we are very excited to welcome her and her family back home and to the Hilltop."
This past year, in College of Charleston’s first season in the Colonial Athletic Association, Adair led the team to a record of 19-15, marking the third-highest win total in the school’s Division I era. Additionally, the squad finished third in conference play, defeated five postseason teams from a year ago and advanced to the semifinals of both the CAA Championship and the Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI).
In her first season at The College, Adair guided the Cougars to 16 wins. The squad also earned a spot in the WBI postseason tournament. She is the first coach to lead teams to back-to-back postseason berths in program history.
Prior to College of Charleston, Adair spent 14 seasons in the assistant coaching ranks.
The Silver Spring, Md., native spent eight years as an assistant to women’s basketball head coach Mike Petersen at Wake Forest University. She was promoted to associate head coach in 2007 and helped guide the Demon Deacons to four postseason tournament appearances, including the program’s second 20-win campaign (20-14) and a run to the NIT Second Round this past season.
As the recruiting coordinator and post coach for the Deacons, Adair successfully recruited a number of top-ranked players in the country and was part of the winningest women’s basketball staff in Wake Forest history, coaching a senior class that posted 72 wins from 2009-12.
Prior to Wake Forest, she served as an assistant coach for six years at Georgetown. Similar to her position with the Deacons, Adair was primarily responsible for the post players. She was instrumental in the development of All-American, WNBA All-Star and three-time WNBA champion Rebekkah Brunson, who was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft by the Sacramento Monarchs.
In her 14 years combined in the ACC and BIG EAST, Adair developed and mentored 12 players who went on to play at the professional level.
Adair played two seasons at Pensacola Junior College before transferring to the University of South Florida under head coach Trudi Lacey, former general manager and head coach of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics. She led the squad in rebounding during the 1993-94 season with 238 (8.8 rpg) and graduated with a degree in communications in 1994.
A former high school All-American and a top recruit in the country with interest from UConn, Syracuse, Georgetown and USF in 1989-90, Adair (nee Barnes) was inducted into the Albert Einstein High School Hall of Fame in November of 2011.
