President Dave Kaufman and Interim Athletic Director Steve Bruning announced the promotion of Camille McPherson as the next Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Capital University. McPherson had been serving as the interim head coach since mid-December.
“We are excited to elevate Camille to our head women’s basketball coach,” said Bruning. “Camille has shown a strong initiative and dedicated leadership throughout her time with us that we feel will be paramount in the continued success of the Capital women’s basketball program.”
“I would like to thank President Kaufman, Interim Athletic Director Steve Bruning, and Senior Woman Administrator Danielle Szalay for their confidence in me and the opportunity to lead this program,” said McPherson. “My experience as a Division III student-athlete was transformational, and I am passionate about creating that type of experience for the next generation of women here at Capital.”
McPherson takes over the program with a rich history after the retirement of longtime head coach Dixie Jeffers on December 31, 2021. As the interim head coach finishing out the season, McPherson guided the Comets in 17 games, helping the team to four wins. The schedule during that time included four contests against top-15 ranked opponents. Prior to taking over the program on an interim basis, McPherson was in the midst of her first season as an assistant coach with the program.
During the 2021-22 season with McPherson on staff, Capital averaged 53.5 points per game, shooting the ball at 37.6% success rate. The team averaged 32.8 rebounds per game and also dished out 12 assists per contest.
Highlighting the year was the selection of Laney Murphy as the OAC’s Freshman of the Year. Murphy was also named All-OAC Honorable Mention. Under McPherson’s guidance, Murphy excelled in an expanded role as a freshman, scoring 12.7 points per game. She finished the season with new school records in most 3-pointers made (70) and attempted (184) in a single season.
Prior to arriving at Capital in June of 2021, McPherson was the assistant coach at Allegheny College. There, she helped lead a program turnaround that included a five-win increase from the previous year and mentoring the NCAC Newcomer of the Year in 2020. She also coached three players to All-NCAC honors and she mentored a 1,000 point scorer.
Even before joining Allegheny, McPherson served as a graduate assistant for her alma mater Moravian College in the Center for Career and Civic Engagement office. As a player for Moravian, McPherson was a two-year captain, was named a 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-America selection, and earned numerous All-American, All-Region, and All-Conference honors.
Professionally, Camille is a member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, WeCoach, Women Leaders in College Sports, Latinx Association of Basketball Coaches, and the National Hispanic Coaches Association. She has been apart of numerous events, such as the NCAA Final Four Convention, the WBCA’s “So You Want to Be a Coach” program, Point Guard College, and the WBCA annual Youth Clinic.
“I have had the privilege to learn from great coaches in my career,” continued McPherson. ” I would like to thank Dixie Jeffers for the opportunity to join this program last summer, and Kate Costanzo and Mary Beth Spirk for their mentorship and help preparing me for this role. I am excited to lead this group of women, to build relationships with the alumni who love this program, and to honor the legacy and winning tradition of Capital Women’s Basketball.”
Tagged with: Capital D3 OAC
