University of Richmond Head Coach Aaron Roussell announced Monday the addition of Ariel Stephenson as Assistant Coach to the Spider Women’s Basketball coaching staff ahead of the 2023-24 season.
“I’m very excited to have Ariel join our staff and be a mentor to our young women,” Roussell said. “I knew years ago coaching against her that she was destined to be an outstanding coach. She was an incredible teammate, a fierce competitor and carried herself with a magnetic charisma throughout the A-10 and we are eager for her to show those attributes as a Spider.”
Stephenson joins the Spiders following a two-year stint with Davidson, where she spent the 2021-22 season as the Wildcat’s Director of Player Development and was promoted to Director of Basketball Operations ahead of the 2022-23 season. In her first year as a Wildcat, she helped the team go 18-15 in addition to a trip to the Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI) while in 2022-23, the Wildcats went 14-16 and picked up a first-round win in the Atlantic 10 Championship.
“I am extremely honored for this opportunity to join the Richmond Women’s Basketball Program,” Stephenson said. “The University of Richmond, an excellent academic institution, coupled with stellar athletics so close to my hometown feels like a full-circle moment. I’m extremely grateful to Coach Roussell, this program, and the athletic department for welcoming me into the Spider Family.”
The Prince George, Va. native joined the Wildcats after serving one year as a graduate assistant and video coordinator with George Washington. Prior to her time at GW, Stephenson had a four-year career at Wake Forest.
A two-year captain of the Demon Deacons, she became Wake Forest’s 25th member of the 1,000-point club in 2018, while earning ACC All-Academic and All-Rookie honors throughout her tenure. With an extra year of eligibility, Stephenson joined George Washington for the 2019-20 season as a graduate transfer, before transitioning to a graduate assistant role.
Stephenson earned a bachelor’s degree in health and exercise science from Wake Forest in 2019 and completed her master’s degree in sport management from GW in May 2021.
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