Arizona Christian Women’s Basketball Head Coach Odell Berry announced his retirement as the coach of the Firestorm on Monday. A search to replace the sixth year head coach will begin immediately.
Coach Berry commented, “I have thoroughly enjoyed coaching at ACU. It has been enjoyable to watch the program grow and the level of play improve. At this point I am looking forward to some time off with family, friends, and being able to focus my efforts on my business. Thank you to ACU for allowing me to be a part of the program for the last six years. I know the future is bright for women’s basketball at ACU!”
Dr. Peter Dryer, Associate Athletic Director, stated, “We will miss Coach Berry’s leadership of the women’s basketball program! He is a class act and always very professional in how he went about his work as the head basketball coach. He cared about his players. He wanted them to be successful in the classroom, on the court, and in their walk with Christ.”
Dr. Dryer added, “Under his leadership, ACU women’s basketball has competed against the best in the NAIA from all over the country – and has developed into a national contender over the last few years. It was fun to see his teams show improvement from year to year.”
Under the direction of Coach Berry, the Firestorm qualified for the NAIA National Championships the last two seasons- the first two program appearances ever. Although his career record ends up at 79-98, the last four years ACU Women’s Basketball produced a record of 68-51 which includes two 20 plus win seasons. The 2018-19 campaign netted 21 overall wins and 13 GSAC wins- both program season best marks.
The Berry years produced a total of six NAIA All-America First Team, Second Team, or Honorable Mention members and six All-GSAC honorees. Off the court, ACU Women’s Basketball has qualified for NAIA Scholar Team recognition (team GPA of 3.0 or higher) four years straight with the 2018-19 year still to be determined. Four WBB athletes have produced six NAIA/GSAC Scholar-Athlete acknowledgements.
http://www.acufirestorm.com/article/1730.php
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