University of Richmond women’s basketball head coach Michael Shafer announced on Monday morning the hiring of Martina Wood as an assistant coach. Wood spent the previous two seasons at Bucknell.
She joined the Bison after spending two seasons as a graduate assistant at Kansas while earning a master’s degree in communication studies.
“We are excited about Tina joining our staff,” Shafer added. “She has had some incredible experiences through basketball, both in her playing career as well as coaching. She helped transform the Bucknell program into a power in the Patriot league and played a big role in leading their post players and their recruiting, particularly through social media. She is very charismatic and energetic which was something we were actively seeking. We are excited about have her join our program and help move us toward Atlantic 10 championships.”
With her coaching duties involving the post players, Wood helped guide the Bison to the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and to the WNIT in 2016. She also guided three student-athletes — Claire DeBoer, Kaitlyn Slagus, and Sune Swart — to a combined four All-Patriot League selections. DeBoer made the First Team in each of her final two seasons and capped her career with Patriot League MVP and Tournament MVP honors.
Wood helped Bucknell post an impressive 52-14 record, including a 33-3 mark in the Patriot League, in her two years with the program. The Bison won their first ever-national postseason game with a victory over Akron in the WNIT First Round in 2016, and then won the Patriot League title in 2017 to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nine years.
In addition to her coaching duties, Wood significantly increased the program’s branding and social media presence.
During her two seasons with the Kansas women’s basketball team, Wood had numerous duties including work during practice and workouts, scouting and academic progress. The Jayhawks won 28 games over those two seasons, including 11 in the highly competitive Big 12, and totaled six All-Big 12 selections. Included in those honorees was Chelsea Gardner, a two-time All-America Honorable Mention and second round draft pick of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever.
Wood was a five-year player, including one redshirt season, at North Carolina, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communication studies in 2010. She saw significant time for the national power Tarheels, playing in 93 games, including nine as a starter. She was on back-to-back Final Four teams and helped win three Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championships.
Following her collegiate playing career, Wood went on to play professionally for teams in Norway, Greece, Lebanon, Ukraine and Jordan. She also built up her basketball resume by working camps at Rutgers, Penn State and North Carolina.
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