K-State women’s basketball head coach Jeff Mittie has added Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame member and 1988 Olympic gold medalist Bridgette Gordon as the program’s Coordinator of Recruiting Operations following the departure of Sadie Thramer, who was recently named as an assistant coach at South Dakota State.
“Bridgette has been a winner at every level she has played and coached,” stated Mittie about the women’s basketball legend joining the Wildcat staff. “Her on-court accolades as a player include a gold medal in the Seoul Olympics with USA basketball, NCAA Championships at Tennessee and numerous All-American and Player of the Year awards throughout her collegiate career.
Bridgette was also a highly decorated professional overseas and enjoyed playing time in the WNBA during the league’s infancy. As a coach, she has been a part of championship teams and NCAA Tournament teams at both Wichita State and Tennessee while also guiding their recruiting efforts. We are thrilled to welcome Bridgette to our staff and the K-State Family.”
Gordon’s responsibilities with the Wildcats will include: management of recruiting, organization and coordination of on-campus visits and cultivation and maintenance of relationships with high school and junior college coaches.
Prior to coming to Manhattan, Gordon served as the recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at SMU from 2019-21. While working with the Mustangs, Gordon helped coach the team’s post players.
Before joining the coaching staff at SMU, Gordon was an assistant at her alma mater, Tennessee, from 2017-19. She helped guide the Lady Vols to 44 wins and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
During her playing career at Tennessee, Gordon was one of the most prolific student athletes in the history of Tennessee women’s basketball. She was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007, won an Olympic gold medal in 1988 and was a two-time NCAA national champion with the Lady Vols.
As a player at Tennessee, Gordon was named 1989 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player, 1989 SEC Female Athlete of the Year and 1989 SEC Player of the Year as a senior and was a two-time All-America honoree. She led the Lady Vols to their first two national championships and four straight Final Fours. Gordon finished her college career as the all-time leader in points (2,462) and steals (336) and remains second in both categories.
Gordon won an Olympic gold medal in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. She was the fourth-leading scorer and was second on the team with a 57.1 field goal percentage. She played professionally in Italy, where she was a perennial all-star and won seven Italian Championships and two European Cups (1994 & 1996), and Turkey, before a two-year stint with the WNBA’s Sacramento Monarchs.
Gordon has experience within the state of Kansas, as she spent seven seasons as an assistant at Wichita State from 2010-17, serving as the recruiting coordinator during her final three seasons. Her efforts helped the Shockers land the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history when Blue Star Basketball rated the 2012-13 signing class at No. 47 in the nation.
During her time at Wichita State, the Shockers won three conference championships, advancing to the program’s first three NCAA Tournaments, and competed in the postseason five times overall. The 2014-15 team went 29-5 for the best record during Gordon’s tenure.
She also worked as an assistant coach at Stetson (2001-06) and Georgia State (2007-10). She signed the nation’s No. 52-ranked class as the recruiting coordinator at Georgia State, and in 2006-07, she was a regional scout for the WNBA.
Photo Courtesy K-State Athletics
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