Mount St. Mary’s University women’s basketball Head Coach Bryan Whitten announced the addition of Carolyn Riley to the staff as an assistant coach on Thursday. Riley brings five years of Division I experience to the Mount, most recently serving as an assistant coach at Georgia Southern.
“I am excited to add Carolyn to our staff,” Whitten said. “I have always been blessed to be surrounded by very good assistants and Carolyn will continue that tradition. She, like myself, has a real passion for the game. She is a high energy coach that loves to teach, and I am excited to have her work with our players. She will bring great enthusiasm to our staff and carry on the camaraderie that we share. She is a competitor, and it will be great for our program to see the focus and discipline she has in her preparation. Carolyn will be a great addition to the Mount family.”
A native of Warrenton, Va., Riley spent two seasons as an assistant at Georgia Southern after a three-year stay at VCU, including two as the Director of Basketball Operations.
“I am thrilled and looking forward to the opportunity to work for Coach Whitten and with the rest of the staff,” Riley said. “Coach Whitten has had great history and success in women’s basketball. I am eager to learn, grow and now be a part of the Mount women’s basketball family.”
During her time at Georgia Southern, Riley was responsible for game scheduling, scouting opponents, post player development, recruiting and coordinating academic support. She was a member of the Eagles’ coaching staff for the 2014-15 and 2012-13 seasons.
In between her two seasons at Georgia Southern, Riley played semi-professionally in 2013-14, serving as a player coach for JRC Boxtel in the Netherlands. She averaged 22.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.7 steals and 2.2 assists in leading her team to a Division Championship.
Prior to her time in Statesboro, Ga., Riley spent three seasons at VCU during one of the most successful runs in program history. The Rams, who won 60 games in Riley’s three years, earned three-consecutive berths in the WNIT, advancing to the round of 16 in 2010 and 2012.
Riley served as VCU’s director of basketball operations for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, coordinating team travel, equipment and film exchange while serving as the team’s academic liaison in addition to camp planning and programming, marketing and community service initiatives. She started her career as a graduate assistant at VCU in the 2009-10 campaign.
In the spring of 2012, Riley served as the Rams’ interim head coach as VCU transitioned between coaching staffs. She was responsible for scheduling, incoming freshmen matriculation and current program evaluation in that role.
Riley played collegiate basketball for four seasons, making stops at Marymount University in Arlington, Va. and Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va. She averaged 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds during her freshman season at Marymount in 2005-06 before transferring to EMU for the next two seasons. Riley put up 15.7 points and 6.1 boards per game as a sophomore, and contributed a league-best 16.4 points and seven rebounds during her junior season. She returned to Marymount as a senior and helped lead the Saints to the Division III NCAA Tournament for the second time in her career.
For her accomplishments on the court, Riley was named first-team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference as a sophomore and second-team all-state as a junior.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from Marymount in 2009 and her master’s degree from VCU in 2010.
http://mountathletics.com/sports/wbkb/2015-16/releases/20150622xqm064
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