A Hoosier High School legend has returned home. Vicki Hall, the state’s 1988 Miss Basketball honoree, a three-time All-Southwest Conference player and a world champion with the U.S. National Team, was named the eighth head women’s basketball coach at Indiana State University on March 21.
University President Dr. Deborah Curtis and Athletics Director Sherard Clinkscales made the announcement Wednesday on the Indiana State University campus.
“I am blessed to welcome to Indiana State a leader that I have admired as both a friend and a fan for over 30 years,” Clinkscales said. “Vicki Hall is a true teacher of the game who understands that success is determined by a constant and unrelenting dedication to excellence. She has been a winner at every level of her career. Her commitment to developing the total student-athlete is more than a cliché. Vicki will bring a bound and determined work ethic to the team that will resonate within the community and bring excitement back to Sycamore Women’s Basketball.”
Hall joins the Sycamore family after spending six seasons as the associate head coach at Toledo where she helped lead the Rockets to an average of over 20 wins per year and four postseason appearances while in the Mid-American Conference. She was responsible for scheduling, post- and guard-player development, international recruiting, academic support and opponent scouting, among other things, while at Toledo.
“I’m so humbled and excited to come home to Indiana State University and be the next head coach,” Hall said of her appointment. “I couldn’t imagine being a part of a better program and university. To work with Sherard Clinkscales is a dream come true. Basketball has been my life. Throughout my career I have worked very hard as an assistant coach and associate head coach and to now have this opportunity to be a head coach, I am honored. I can guarantee one thing – no one will work harder than we do.”
She has also played a key role in expanding the Rockets’ recruiting scope to England (Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott), Italy (Mariella Santucci), Canada (Sarah St-Fort), Minnesota (Michaela Rasmussen), Illinois (Mikaela Boyd), Mississippi (Olivia Cunningham) and North Carolina (Zaria Wright).
“Today begins a new era for Indiana State Women’s Basketball,” said Dr. Curtis. “I am pleased to welcome Vicki Hall to the Sycamore athletics family as our new head coach for women’s basketball. She brings a wealth of experience and success at every level to this role, and we wish her the best in leading Indiana State to new heights. My husband, Lynn, and I are looking forward to cheering on the Sycamores under her leadership.”
Under Hall’s assistant, Toledo made postseason appearances in four of her six years on staff and the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 16 years when she helped lead the program to a 25-9 (12-6 MAC) record during the 2016-17 season, claiming the MAC Tournament Championship. That came a year before a trip to the Women’s NIT, one of three MAC teams in the tournament.
Being recruited and coached by Hall seemingly blazed a clear path to all-conference honors for Rockets players. Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott claimed all-conference honors every year after being named the 2015 MAC Freshman of the Year. Another Hall-guided Rocket, Mariella Santucci, was named the MAC’s Freshman of the Year in 2017 while also being named to the league’s all-tournament team. In all, Hall guided over 10 All-MAC First, Second or Third Team selections and multiple Freshman of the Year honorees.
The 2017-18 season at Toledo, Hall’s last before moving to Indiana State, marked the Rockets’ fourth postseason trip in her six years in northwest Ohio. Toledo finished the year 18-15 (8-10 MAC) and once again posted a first-round win in the WNIT. Junior Kaayla McIntyre earned third-team All-MAC honors and for the third straight year she led the MAC in field goal percentage (.624, 126-for-202) in league games. Her full season shooting mark of .631 (209 of 331) ranks seventh nationally and her career mark of .626 puts her in the running for a new school record.
Hall helped guide Toledo back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 16 years in an impressive 25-9 (12-6 MAC) campaign during the 2016-17 season. The Rockets earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championships after winning the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2001 and the eighth time in school history.
Mikaela Boyd was named the MAC Tournament MVP and was joined on the all-tournament team by Marielle Santucci. Individually, Janice Monakana secured second team All-MAC honors while Bravo-Harriott and Boyd claimed third team accolades and Santucci was named to the All-Freshman Team.
In 2015-16, Hall helped the Rockets to a 17-13 (12-6 MAC) mark and coached Kaayla McIntyre to MAC Co-Sixth Player of the Year honors. Also an All-Freshman honoree, McIntyre shot a single-season league-record 64.3 percent (81-of-126) from the floor. Additionally, Janice Monakana and Bravo-Harriott garnered honorable mention all-league honors.
Hall helped the Rockets return to the postseason in 2014-15 as Toledo advanced to the WNIT and won its first-round game for the fifth consecutive time. The Rockets were 19-14 (10-8 MAC) overall on the year as Hall mentored MAC Freshman of the Year Bravo-Harriott to postseason honors.
Despite graduating the most successful class in school history the previous year, Hall and the Rockets still tied for second place in the MAC West Division standings with a 16-16 (9-9 MAC) mark during the 2013-14 season. Hall’s biggest impact came in the production of senior Brianna Jones who produced double-digit points in 20 of 30 games, averaging 10.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
Success was found quickly in her first year at Toledo as the Rockets captured its second MAC regular season championship in three years, as well as securing a berth in the WNIT for a fourth consecutive season. The Rockets compiled a 29-4 record, the best single-season mark in UT annals, including a 15-1 MAC ledger, the third time in school history it posted such a mark. Their 29 wins tied for the most in school history and second in MAC record books. The Rockets breached the Top 25 polls for the first time in over a decade, ranking 25th early in March.
Hall went to Toledo following one season at New Mexico, where she was responsible for post-player development, practice and game management, skills training, staff development and program supervision, scheduling and fundraising. While with the Lobos, she helped mentor All-Mountain West Conference performers Porche Torrance and Caroline Durbin. Torrance was named the MWC Defensive Player of the Year, as well as selected to the All-Defensive Team and third-team all-league, while Durbin earned a spot on the first-team. UNM advanced to the championship game of the 2012 MWC Tournament.
She arrived in Albuquerque from Miami (Ohio), where Hall served two years as an assistant coach. She assisted with scheduling, practice and game administration, post-player and guard development, pre-season conditioning, high school and junior college recruiting, academic support and fundraising during her time in Oxford. Hall worked with All-MAC selections Courtney Osborn and Kirsten Olowinski with the RedHawks. Osborn was a two-time third-team all-conference selection and the 2010 MAC Freshman of the Year, while Olowinski garnered a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team and was named honorable mention All-MAC.
Hall received her start in coaching as the head coach for Bank Leumi in the Women’s ‘B’ League in Tel Aviv, Israel in 2002-03. She assumed leadership of a struggling program halfway through the season and improved the team’s sixth-place ranking to finish second. Hall developed and coordinated the team’s offensive and defensive play with the aid of no assistant coaches by integrating the previous coach’s philosophy with her new ideas to create an improved team strategy.
Following an extensive 16-year professional career, Hall entered the coaching profession. As a player, Hall spent time overseas with teams in Switzerland and Greece before returning stateside for stints with the Colorado Xplosion (1998-99) and Nashville Noise (1999-2000) of the ABL and the Cleveland Rockers (2000-01) and Los Angeles Sparks (2002) of the WNBA. She also spent seven years playing for teams in Italy, France and Israel, helping lead Pool Comense to the ‘Final Four’ in Italy in 2006.
Hall also spent several years as a member of the United States National Team. She was part of the squad that won the 1990 World Championship in Malaysia. She also won gold with Team USA at the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle.
A sought-after prospect out of Brebeuf High School, Hall was named the 1988 Indiana ‘Miss Basketball’ and received the Gatorade and Naismith National Player of the Year as a senior. A 2015 inductee into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, she scored 1,755 points in high school and graduated as the state’s seventh all-time leading girls’ scorer.
Hall went on to letter four years at Texas (1988-93) and was named to the Southwest Conference All-Decade Team for the 1990s. She was part of four straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament and wrapped up her collegiate career ranked in the Top 11 in school history in eight categories — three-point field-goal percentage (.404, 3rd), total points (1,831, 6th), three-point field goals (115, 6th), points per game (15.6, tied for 6th), field goals (718, 7th), overall rebounds (887, 7.6, 8th), free throws (280, 11th) and free throws attempted (417, 11th).
An experienced teacher, Hall has spent her off-seasons training basketball players of all ages. She conducted her own high-skill basketball camp in 1996 and was on the staff of the Nike All-American Camp in 1999.
A native of Indianapolis, Hall earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas in 1993.
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