Ohio Women’s Basketball has added five members to its staff, the program announced. Patricia Charity, Elaine Powell and Jeffrey Marshall join the team as assistant coaches; Jessica Loding has been named the new Director of Basketball Operations and Monique Perez has joined the program as a graduate assistant.

Patricia Charity

Most recently working at the University at Buffalo as an assistant coach, Charity has been in the coaching ranks since 1982. She spent the first five years of her career as an assistant coach at Western Michigan University before assuming the same role at the University of Arizona for the next three years. Charity secured her first head coaching job in Kalamazoo, returning to WMU for the better part of a decade as she was the bench boss of the Broncos from 1990-97.

"I’m excited to have Pat Charity on board," Randall said. "I’ve known Pat for some time and she brings a great amount of knowledge with her. She is a student of the game and is probably one of the most loyal people I’ve seen in the game of basketball. I look forward to her working with our players in all aspects, on and off the floor. It’s a blessing to have someone like her on our sideline."

Charity spent time as the head coach of the Birmingham Power of the National Women’s Basketball League in the early 2000s and has had assistant coaching jobs at the University of Alabama, UNLV, Long Beach State, Hawai’i and Cal State Northridge. Throughout her career she has experienced coaching in the most competitive women’s basketball conferences in the nation and has been a part of multiple NCAA Tournament teams. All in all, Charity has seven years of NCAA head coaching experience, five years of experience as an associate head coach and fourteen years as an assistant head coach. In her arsenal she has years of proven experience in recruiting both American and international student-athletes.

Elaine Powell

Powell brings a wealth of experience with her to Athens. The Monroe, Louisiana native played point guard for two years at Louisiana State University and later transitioned into a successful career in the WNBA. Powell won three WNBA Championships during her playing career, capturing top league honors with the Detroit Shock in 2003, 2006 and 2008. Through the 265 games of her WNBA career, Powell averaged 5.7 points, 2.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. She shot a solid 41.7 percent from the field which included a 32.4 percent mark from beyond the arc.

Coming over from Grambling State University where she was an assistant coach for the Lady Tigers from 2008-12, Powell is a member of the Women’s Basketball Coaching Association (WBCA). The Lady Tigers are coming off back-to-back 15-win seasons and have enjoyed solid performances from their guards under Powell’s tutelage.

"Elaine Powell is going to be a player’s coach," said Head Coach Semeka Randall. "The student-athletes will be able to relate to her because of all the things she did as a player. I look forward to having her work with our guards, pushing them to the limit and helping them reach their potential. She’s going to add a wealth of knowledge because she’s played at the highest level and has significant coaching experience."

Jeffrey Marshall

A former associate head coach and assistant coach with the Birmingham Power of the National Women’s Basketball League, Jeffrey Marshall brings many positive experiences to the program. While with the Power, Jeffrey was responsible for all aspects of scouting, collaborating in all aspects of on-floor coaching, and specific defensive game planning. Before working with the Power, Marshall held four coaching jobs around the country. His basketball career began in 1988 at Campbellsville College where he worked for three years as a student assistant basketball coach. He then took over a similar role in 1991 at the University of Louisville before becoming an assistant women’s basketball coach at Southeastern Illinois College in 1993.

From 1996-99, Marshall was an associate head women’s basketball coach at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky, before earning his first head coaching job at Southeast Community College (Beatrice, Neb.) in advance of the 2000-01 season. He then spent a season as an assistant coach at Iowa Western Community College in 2002 before working with the NWBL’s Power and holding various other jobs. His organizational skills will be an asset to the program, as since 2005 Marshall has served as a site coordinator for the annual postseason Women’s National Invitational Tournament.

"I’m really thrilled to have Jeff join our staff," Randall said. "He brings great basketball knowledge to our program. He’s coached at many different levels and I think that his energy is going to have a positive effect on our team."

Jessica Loding

Loding joins the Bobcats from TBC Sports Inc. in Holt, Michigan. She has worked extensively in the sports industry, working at Basketball Traveler’s Inc. and Michigan State University. Loding has helped to create the largest youth club for women’s basketball in the Big Ten conference, organized 20 different events in two different countries and has significant postseason experience, participating in five postseason appearances with Michigan State, including two NCAA Tournament host sites.

"I’ve known Jess for quite some time having worked with her at Michigan State," Randall said. "She is one of the hardest-working managers I’ve ever seen. She is extremely organized and is very passionate about the administrative side of the `Director of Basketball Operations’ position. It is truly a great gift to have her with us."

Monique Perez

Perez, a native of Columbus, is an Ohio University alumna. Recently a collections coordinator at Cardinal Health in Dublin, Perez has spent the last three years coaching basketball at Hilliard Darby High School in central Ohio. After just one year as an assistant, she was moved up to the Head Coach of the junior varsity squad at Darby. Shortly after this, she became an assistant coach on the varsity team. Perez played an important role in many of the program’s operations, from creating practice plans to serving as the leader of the team’s community service activities.

"Monique is a graduate of Ohio, which is always good to have around the program," Randall added. "She knows a lot about this school and can provide great insight to the coaches, student-athletes and recruits as well. We’re excited to have her here."

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