The TCU women’s basketball program and head coach Raegan Pebley have announced the hiring of Abi Olajuwon as an assistant coach.
Olajuwon will serve as the Frogs’ recruiting coordinator and work primarily with their post players, including returning All-Big 12 selections Jordan Moore and Amy Okonkwo.
“We welcome Abi to the Frog Family,” Pebley said. “She comes to TCU with an established commitment and belief in our culture, as well as being mentored by coaches we hold in high esteem. She is relationship driven and a very skilled post development coach. We are excited about the impact Coach Olajuwon can have on our program.”
“I’m thankful to Coach Pebley and the whole TCU staff for the opportunity,” Olajuwon said. “To be apart of the Frog Family and to be back in the Big 12 is a dream come true. I’m excited about Coach Pebley’s vision for TCU women’s basketball and ready to help continue the success that was accomplished last season.”
Olajuwon comes to TCU after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan, including spending last season as the Eagles’ recruiting coordinator.
In both of her seasons, the Eagles signed the MAC’s top recruiting class. Last season, with Olajuwon as the recruiting coordinator, EMU had a roster with four true freshmen, a redshirt freshman and four transfers. Those players accounted for over 70 percent of EMU’s scoring, including true freshman Courtnie Lewis who averaged 15.0 points per game and was a MAC All-Freshman Team selection.
Prior to EMU, Olajuwon began her coaching career at Cal State Fullerton where she was an assistant coach for two seasons. While with the Titans, Olajuwon had a big impact on another freshman, helping Michelle Berry lead the Big West with 12 double-doubles while averaging 14.5 points and 9.1 rebounds on her way to Big West All-Freshman honors.
Olajuwon, a 2010 Oklahoma graduate, played in the 2009 and 2010 Women’s Final Four, and won Big 12 Championships in 2007 and 2009. As a senior in 2009-10, she started all 38 games at center, averaging 10.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
Olajuwon, the daughter of hall of fame center Hakeem Olajuwon, was a third-round pick by the Chicago Sky in the 2010 WNBA Draft and played for the Sky as a rookie before signing to play with the Tulsa Shock in 2011. In addition to the two WNBA stops, Olajuwon played oversees for clubs in Hungary, Romania, Isreal, Croatia, France, Brazil, China and Spain in a three-year professional playing career.
A Los Angeles native, Olajuwon starred at The Marlborough School where she won three state championships. After her senior season in 2006, Olajuwon was named a McDonald’s All-American as well as a WBCA and USA Today All-American.
http://www.gofrogs.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/050418aab.html
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