A fourteen-year veteran of Division I college basketball, Rob Norris joins the Georgia Tech women’s basketball staff as an assistant coach, head coach MaChelle Joseph announced Wednesday.
“I am very excited to add someone to our Georgia Tech women’s basketball staff with Rob’s level of experience,” Joseph said. “He has been in college basketball for over 14 years on both the men’s and women’s side. He will oversee our scouting and will be in charge of player development. I look forward to working with Rob and welcome him and his family to Atlanta.”
Norris comes to the Flats after serving as an assistant coach for the VCU women’s basketball team for the 2014-15 season. He was also an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan and coached for nine years in men’s college basketball.
“I am very grateful to be joining Coach Joseph’s staff,” Norris said. “It’s an exciting time for Georgia Tech women’s basketball and I am excited to be a part of it.”
Norris was the lead assistant for the VCU women’s basketball team for the 2014-15 season. At VCU, he worked with the guards and wings and helped guide the Rams to a 16-14 overall record.
“Rob brings a lot of experience to the table, having previously coached men’s basketball for some time,” Dan Olson, the director of the Collegiate Girls Basketball Report, said. “Most recently at VCU, he’s been involved in some solid recruiting classes that have really helped VCU continue its level of play during a transition with a new coaching staff. He has experience, is a hard worker, is knowledgeable and is a good teacher of the game. Rob is one of the prominent younger coaches on the rise and is very deserving of an opportunity to coach in the super conference of the ACC.”
Before coaching at VCU, Norris was an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan, serving as the team’s defensive coordinator and focusing on the guards. In 2012-13, Eastern Michigan limited its opponents to 63.8 points per game and in 2013-14, improved its record by 10 wins to 18-14.
Prior to Eastern Michigan, Norris worked in men’s basketball for 11 years. From 2006-09, Norris was the assistant coach at Canisius College and in 2009, he was promoted to the associate head coach where he served in that capacity until 2012. While at Canisius, Norris was mainly responsible for the team’s scheduling and worked closely with the head coach in game-planning, opponent scouting and daily practice planning. He recruited former MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year, Frank Turner. Turner finished out his career ranked among the school’s top-10 in 12 different statistical categories.
Norris spent two years at Towson University as an assistant coach (2004-06) where he worked under head coach Pat Kennedy. At Towson, Norris worked closely with future NBA standout Gary Neal who currently plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Norris also had worked with Kennedy, serving as his director of men’s basketball operations from 2002-04 at the University of Montana and as his film coordinator at DePaul from 2001-02.
A native of Rochester, N.Y., Norris attended Fairleigh Dickinson University for two years before transferring to Indiana University of Pennsylvania for his junior and senior years. A four-year starter at guard, Norris earned a spot on the Northeast Conference’s 1995-96 All-Newcomers Team after averaging 11.0 points per game for FDU as a freshman.
In his senior year, he was named captain at IUP and helped direct the Indians to a 22-5 record, the third-best in school history. He closed out his collegiate career with over 1,000 points, 300 assists and 300 rebounds.
A graduate of Rochester’s McQuaid Jesuit High School, Norris was a four-year varsity player and a McDonald’s All-American nominee. A two-time all-state and All-City Catholic League selection and a first-team All-Greater Rochester choice in his senior year, he led McQuaid to a pair of Section V championships.
Norris and his wife Ann Marie have three children, two daughters, Haden (9), Keely (5) and a son, Holt (1).
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