Christie Sides has been promoted to associate head coach after one season as an assistant, Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown announced Thursday.
“I am excited to promote Christie Sides to associate head coach,” McKeown said. “She brings a great energy level every day to our program and cares deeply about our student-athletes. Her coaching experience, both in the WNBA and at the college level, is a great asset to our program. She has earned the respect of everyone associated with Wildcat basketball and Northwestern.”
As an assistant during the 2016-17 campaign, Sides helped lead Northwestern to its second 20-win season in the last three years. She oversaw all position groups and was instrumental in the continued growth and development of No. 5 overall WNBA draft pick Nia Coffey and all-time Big Ten steals leader Ashley Deary.
“I am honored and excited to be named associate head coach at Northwestern,” Sides said. “I want to thank Coach McKeown for this great opportunity to take the next step in my coaching career. It is such a privilege to get to work at this highly respected institution with an incredible group of student-athletes. I hope to serve these young women and help them prepare to leave their mark, not only on this university, but also our society. I look forward to helping this program shine within the Big Ten and across the nation.”
Sides came to Northwestern in October 2016 from the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, where she served as an assistant for six seasons. She has 13 years of coaching experience at the college, professional, and international levels, which includes stints in Russia and Slovakia and at LSU and Louisiana Tech. Sides played collegiately, first at Ole Miss, and then at Louisiana Tech. She advanced to the 1999 Final Four as a player at Louisiana Tech and made it to three Final Fours during her time on the sidelines at LSU.
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