UNCW Head Women’s Basketball coach Karen Barefoot has added Ali Ford to her staff and elevated Brittany Morris to the role of assistant coach/recruiting coordinator.
Ford reunites with Barefoot after serving as a graduate assistant at Old Dominion the last two years. The Morganton, N.C., native also played for Barefoot at Elon from 2009-13 and played an important role in the success at ODU and building the Elon program. Morris, who enters her second season with the Seahawks, joined Barefoot’s staff after a two-year stint as a graduate assistant at NC State.
“Bringing Ali onto our staff is a home run hire in a number of ways,” said Barefoot, who embarks on her second season at UNCW in 2018-19. “She knows what I am like as a coach and how hard I want our players to work and represent our program. Ali is the ultimate team player and has a tremendous work ethic in addition to being very loyal.
“We had a very large and impressive pool of candidates for the position and when Ali came in for the interview, she really impressed me and made me believe she was the right fit because she knows that we have a lot of work to do to reach our ultimate goal and getting to the next level. She has an outstanding reputation in North Carolina and takes a lot of pride in the state.”
A 2013 graduate of Elon, Ford was a four-year letter winner for the Phoenix and finished her career as the second-leading scorer in school history with 2,020 points. She was a four-time First-Team All-Southern Conference selection and was named 2009-10 SoCon Freshman-of-the-Year.
Ford concluded her career as the Phoenix’s all-time leader with a .826 free throw percentage, while her .338 career three-point percentage ranks fourth in program history. She was a three-year team captain and garnered Academic All-Conference recognition all four years.
“Ali took a chance on me when I was building the program at Elon,” said Barefoot. “She wanted to build something special and was a huge reason why we had the first 20-win season and reached the postseason for the first time at the Division I level.”
In addition to her talents on the basketball court, Ford spent three seasons on Elon’s softball team, starting 95-of-104 contests. She earned Academic All-Conference honors twice and served as team captain during her senior campaign.
Over the last two years, Ford has served as a graduate assistant at Old Dominion. She was involved in all aspects of the program, including video, travel, recruiting and scouting.
“Ali will match my passion and intensity because I don’t think I have ever met someone who loves basketball as much as me,” Barefoot said.
Morris, a Raleigh, N.C., native, who graduated from Seton Hall in 2013, ranks 20th in career scoring for the Pirates and set a school with 178 three-point field goals. During her two seasons in Raleigh, the Wolfpack posted a 43-20 record and reached the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
“Brittany really worked hard and deserves this promotion,” said Barefoot. “She has really shown over the last year that she is a tremendous recruiter and has a great passion for it. She has made a number of connections and helped us put together one of the top recruiting classes in the Colonial Athletic Association.”
http://uncwsports.com/news/2018/6/22/womens-basketball-barefoot-adjusts-womens-hoops-staff.aspx
Tagged with: DI Staff Update
