San Diego State Director of Athletics Jim Sterk announced the hiring Wednesday of Stacie Terry as head coach of the Aztec women’s basketball team. A native of San Diego, Terry becomes the eighth head coach in program history, bringing a wealth of experience as an assistant coach at the Division I level over the past 14 years, including the last five under head coach Nikki Caldwell, who transformed UCLA into a powerhouse before restoring LSU to national prominence.

"We are excited to welcome Stacie Terry into the Aztec athletics family," Sterk said. "She brings a tremendous amount of experience, passion and character to SDSU women’s basketball. I look forward to the future of our program under her leadership."

Terry coached the past two seasons at LSU, as the Lady Tigers compiled a 45-23 overall record and earned two NCAA tournament bids, including a Sweet 16 appearance during the 2012-13 campaign. This past season, LSU also posted six victories against ranked opponents and finished with its second-highest scoring average (69.0) in the last seven years. Under Terry’s guidance, forward LaShondra Barrett garnered first-team all-Southeastern Conference accolades and received honorable mention All-America distinction in 2012 before becoming a first-round draft choice of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics.

"I am honored and humbled to be the next head coach at San Diego State University," Terry said. "I want to thank Jim (Sterk) and his staff for this amazing opportunity. This is such a special place for me. Not only is this my dream job, but it is home. SDSU is a first class university that has all the resources in place to be successful. I am so eager to get started and confident that we can continue the winning tradition that Aztec supporters have become accustomed to both on and off the court."

Prior to her arrival at LSU, Terry served as an assistant under Caldwell at UCLA from 2008-11, helping the Bruins gain national acclaim with a pair of NCAA tournament appearances. During Terry’s tenure, UCLA posted 72 overall victories, as the 2010-11 squad finished with a 28-5 record, setting a school record for fewest losses in a single season to go with a No. 7 national ranking. In addition, the Bruins signed the fourth-ranked recruiting class that season, according to ESPN HoopGurlz, while Terry helped mentor first-team all-Pac-10 performers in Doreena Campbell, Darxia Morris and Jasmine Dixon, a 2012 honorable mention AP All-America selection, as well as all-conference freshman honorees Atonye Nyingifa and Markel Walker.

Terry spent the 2007-08 campaign at Southern Mississippi, as the Golden Eagles posted a 21-14 record and earned a postseason berth in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). While at Southern Miss, Terry spearheaded the development and coordination of the Lady Eagle recruiting campaign. Her responsibilities also included working with the perimeter players, scouting opponents and film breakdown, as well as coordinating all of the team’s community service events.

Terry also coached for three seasons from 2004-07 as an assistant under Hall of Fame head coach Theresa Grentz at Illinois, where the Fighting Illini had three straight recruiting classes ranked among the top 25 in the nation, according to Blue Star Basketball, and made three consecutive trips to the WNIT. Her primary duties included defensive instruction and working with the perimeter players.

In addition, Terry coached at Dayton during the 2003-04 season following a three-year stint at Louisville from 2000-03. With the Cardinals, Terry’s responsibilities encompassed recruiting, scouting, player development, summer camps and serving as a liaison for the program’s community service outreach. Louisville captured the Conference USA regular-season title and earned a trip to the NCAA tournament in 2001 before making a WNIT appearance in 2002. She also assisted in signing the nation’s 21st-ranked recruiting class in 2002-03, according to All-Star Girls Report. Terry recruited and coached all-Conference USA honoree Lori Nero, a draft choice of the WNBA’s Houston Comets, as well as Sara Nord, who finished her collegiate career as the Cardinals’ all-time assist leader and ranks among the top 15 scorers in school history.

Terry enjoyed a successful collegiate playing career at Texas-Arlington, winning four varsity letters from 1994-98 under head coach Mike Dean. She earned first-team all-Southland Conference honors after leading the Mavericks in scoring with 17.4 points per game as a senior in 1997-98. Terry scored 1,169 points during her career at UTA and still ranks among the school’s top 10 in three-point field goals made (third), assists (sixth), steals (seventh) and free-throw percentage (10th). She is just one of 17 players in Maverick history to surpass the 1,000-point plateau, while her .335 career three-point field-goal percentage is also a school and Southland Conference career record.

Terry played one season of professional basketball in Warsaw, Poland, averaging 12.0 points and 6.0 assists with the Polonia Phoenix, before returning to Texas-Arlington to begin her coaching career as a graduate assistant in 1999.

Terry inherits the Aztec program from Beth Burns, who announced her retirement last month. During the 2012-13 campaign, SDSU went 27-7, setting a school record for most wins in a single season to go along with its second consecutive regular-season Mountain West championship. The Aztecs have earned a postseason bid in four of the last five seasons, highlighted by a Sweet 16 appearance in 2010.

Terry, who graduated from El Capitan High, stills holds the Vaqueros’ career scoring record and was inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame in 2008.

The Terry File

Age: 36

Hometown: San Diego, Calif.

Education: Texas-Arlington (B.A., Broadcast Journalism, 1998)

Terry’s Playing Experience

1994-98, Texas-Arlington

1998, European Pro League (Poland)

Terry’s Coaching Experience

1999-00, Graduate Assistant, Texas-Arlington

2000-03, Assistant Coach, Louisville

2003-04, Assistant Coach, Dayton

2004-07, Assistant Coach, Illinois

2007-08, Recruiting Coordinator, Southern Mississippi

2008-11, Assistant Coach, UCLA

2011-13, Assistant Coach, LSU