Newly appointed head women’s basketball coach Trina Patterson has been hard at work looking for the right individuals to assist in the rebuilding of UNCG’s program. Patterson announced afternoon that Cait Wetmore and Asia Williams have been hired as assistant coaches and Brooke Long will take on the role as Director of Basketball Operations.
“I wanted to put together a staff of coaches who are committed to excellence, energetic, and driven to succeed,” said Patterson.
Wetmore has spent two seasons as assistant coach at UNCG and has done everything from coordinating the defense to working with the guards including UNCG’s all-time leading scorer Lucy Mason (’16).
“I am thrilled to have Cait join me,” said Patterson.” She is driven by professionalism and has a relentless work ethic. She will be involved in all aspects of the program, will work with the guards and will serve as a mentor to our athletes.”
This past season Wetmore took over as recruiting coordinator and in her first year signed two McDonald’s All-American nominees in Alexus Willey and Mangela Ngandjui.
She also coordinated the team’s offense that saw a jump in production form the season prior. Under the guidance of Wetmore, the Spartans led the Southern Conference in scoring average (65.5 points per game) and offensive rebounds per game (15.5). UNCG also set a single-game record for UNCG during the Division I era when the Spartans shot 66.1 percent from the field (44-for-62) against North Carolina Central (12/31/15).
“I am very excited for the opportunity to stay at UNCG and work with Coach Patterson,” said Wetmore. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and a high level of experience that will undoubtedly lead this program to the top of the SoCon. I am thrilled to be a part of it.”
Wetmore came to UNCG in 2014 after serving as a graduate assistant for two years at Columbia University. She then returned to her alma mater, Aldelphi, as an assistant coach and helped the Panthers to their first Northeast-10 Conference post season appearance since joining the conference in 2009. In her final year at Adelphi she aided in guiding the Panthers to the NE-10 Conference Championship game and a regional semifinal appearance in the NCAA Tournament with a 23-8 record.
Wetmore is a member of the Women’s Coaches Academy, Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, Alliance of Women’s Coaches, and National Strength and Conditioning Association. She has a Bachelor’s Degree from Adelphi and graduated with her Masters in Clinical Social Work from Columbia in 2012.
“I am excited to have Asia join our UNCG staff,” said Patterson. “She is a phenomenal recruiter. She will serve as our recruiting coordinator and will work with our small forwards. Asia will also be the lead for team academics.”
Williams joins UNCG after spending the 2015-16 season as an assistant coach at LIU-Brooklyn. She is no stranger to the SoCon as she spent two seasons on the staff at then member Appalachian State helping the Mountaineers to a 10-8 league record in their final year in the SoCon. In her second year at ASU she made the move to video coordinator.
“I am blessed and extraordinarily humbled to have the opportunity to return home to and join Coach Patterson’s staff and this great university,” said Williams. “I am overjoyed to invest in a program with player’s who’s talents and abilities I can assist in developing on and off the court.”
Williams, a native of Durham, N.C., is a former North Carolina High School Gatorade Player of the Year and stand out at Wake Forest. She appeared in 109 games for the Demon Deacons and made 36 starts in the backcourt. During her senior campaign in Winston-Salem she led the team with 145 assists, the sixth highest in single-season history, while ranking fourth on the team in scoring with 10.4 points per game.
“Furthermore, I am excited the return to North Carolina where I can tap into the many great players this state offers,” added Williams.
Long spent the past two seasons as an assistant at Christopher Newport where she helped guide them to a 24-5 overall record and a NCAA Division III Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2015-16. In her first season she helped CNU to a 17-win season and assisted with recruiting, film exchange and basketball operations.
“I am elated to have Brooke serve as our Director of Basketball Operations,” said Patterson. “She is energetic, works with a sense of urgency, and will use her coaching experiences to run the day-to-day operations of the program.”
Long began her coaching career at Keen State College after a standout basketball career. She played her rookie year at Longwood before playing two seasons at NCAA DII Armstrong State. She finished her playing career as a member of Franklin Pierce’s NCAA Tournament team after battling a pair of ACL injuries. Long brings a plethora of knowledge after playing both Division I & II basketball and coaching at the Division III level.
“First I want to thank Coach Patterson for this opportunity,” said Long. “I could not be more excited about joining her and the UNCG Spartan family. UNCG is a remarkable place with an athletic department discovering and developing champions for life and I am honored to be part of The Spartan Way.”
The trio will begin their duties immediately as they join Patterson in setting the foundation for this next chapter of UNCG women’s basketball. The Spartans return nine players from the 2015-16 squad and have signed five fresh faces for the upcoming season.
Photo Courtesy UNCG Athletics
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