University of Cincinnati women’s basketball head coach Katrina Merriweather assembled the initial portion of her staff with the additions of Ashley Barlow, Abby Jump, Kabrina Merriweather and Michal Miller on Monday.
“These four individuals joining our staff on this new journey means everything,” Katrina Merriweather said. “They are each unique as recruiters, developers and mentors, while working well as a collective unit. They are my family and I appreciate their trust in me as we continue to elevate the standard here at Cincinnati.”
Katrina Merriweather was announced as the program’s 10th head women’s basketball coach on March 25 after compiling an 151-70 record and five postseason appearances over seven seasons at the helm of Memphis and Wright State.
The addition of assistant coaches Barlow, Jump, Kabrina Merriweather and Miller, who will serve as the director of player personnel, collectively bring a history of continuity and success as players, recruiters and coaches to the staff.
All four helped lead Memphis to a 22-11 record last season, the program’s first 20-win season since 2011-12. The Tigers finished second in the conference to clinch their highest-ever American Athletic Conference regular season finish and advanced to a postseason tournament for the first time since 2015-16 with an appearance in the 2023 WNIT Sweet 16.
Ashley Barlow, Assistant Coach
Barlow brings over a decade of experience to the staff, including serving as a longtime assistant for seven seasons with Katrina Merriweather at Memphis and Wright State. In her two seasons at Memphis, she worked directly with the guards and was indispensable in the development of the program’s all-time career three-point leader and two-time All-AAC selection Madison Griggs.
In her five seasons on the Raiders’ bench, Barlow helped Katrina Merriweather compile a 113-47 record, four postseason appearances and two Horizon League Championships. Prior to Wright State, she spent three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville and two seasons in the same role at IUPUI.
Prior to coaching, the Indianapolis native was a standout guard for four seasons at Notre Dame from 2006-10 and became the only player in Fighting Irish history, male or female, to eclipse 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists and 250 steals in her career. Barlow played one season professionally in Israel for Elitzur Rishon Le-Zion in 2010-11.
Abby Jump, Assistant Coach
The only coach nationally to be named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) 30 Under 30 list each of the last six years, Jump joins the staff after spending the last five seasons with Katrina Merriweather at Memphis and Wright State. With the Tigers, Jump oversaw the development of perimeter players, including leading scorer and All-AAC Second Team selection Jamirah Shutes, while coordinating recruiting efforts over the last two seasons.
Prior to Memphis, Jump helped lead her alma mater Wright State to two NCAA Tournament appearances and two Horizon League Championships over three seasons. Before returning to Wright State, Jump was an assistant coach at Morehead State for two seasons, where she was a part of the Eagles’ first WNIT appearance and helped signed the highest ranked recruiting class in program history.
Jump spent a season as the director of operations at Bucknell from 2015-16. The Union, Ky., native played four seasons at Wright State under then-assistant coach Katrina Merriweather from 2011-15, where the guard led the conference in three-point field goal percentage each of her last two seasons and helped guide the program to a 2014 NCAA Tournament appearance.
Kabrina Merriweather, Assistant Coach
Kabrina Merriweather joins her sister’s staff after spending last season at Memphis, where she worked with the post players and guided Destiny Thomas to All-AAC Freshman Team honors. In addition, she joins Jump as a WBCA 30 Under 30 selection, overseeing a unit that helped Memphis lead the conference and rank seventh nationally with 43.5 rebounds per game last season.
Prior to Memphis, the Indianapolis native spent two seasons at New Mexico where she served as the director of operations for a season before she was promoted to assistant coach in her final season. The Lobos advanced to the WNIT in each of her two seasons with the program. A forward for Florida A&M and Georgia Southwestern State from 2011-15, she also coached at the high school, AAU and semi professional ranks.
Michal Miller, Director of Player Personnel
Miller joins the staff after spending the last two seasons as a video coordinator at Memphis. Miller served as a volunteer coach with Katrina Merriweather at Wright State in 2020-21, where she was responsible for a multitude of operational and managerial aspects.
The Michigan City, Ind. native closed out the final two seasons of her playing career under Katrina Merriweather at Wright State from 2018-20, where she became only the second player in program history to earn 2019 Horizon League Tournament MVP honors and was also named to the 2020 Horizon League Second Team. Before joining the Raiders, Miller led Trinity Valley Community College to the NJCAA National Championship appearance after starting at Arizona.
https://gobearcats.com/news/2023/4/17/womens-basketball-merriweather-announces-staff-additions.aspx
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