The Bard College Department of Athletics and Recreation named Alaina Walker the school’s new Head Women’s Basketball Coach. Walker, who served as an assistant coach with the Spartans at St. Thomas Aquinas for two seasons, brings a wealth of experience and skills to her new role.
“We’re looking forward to the trajectory our women’s basketball program will take under Alaina’s leadership,” said Stefanie Carrington, Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator. “She brings a really wonderful mix of drive and competitive experience along with a deep understanding of the importance of supporting student athletes in their holistic development.”
“I am very excited to join the Bard College family,” said Walker. “From the moment I stepped on campus I knew this was where I wanted to be, so when the opportunity came, I couldn’t pass it up. What I look forward to this upcoming season is watching the players consistently compete and watching their growth individually and as a team.”
At St. Thomas Aquinas, Walker’s role as an assistant coach was multifaceted. She was responsible for developing, organizing, and maintaining team training sessions and individual workouts. Additionally, she was in charge of creating detailed scouting reports, honing the guards’ skill sets, recruiting and assisting in the creation of promotional materials for camps and clinics.
At STAC, Walker helped the team qualify for back-to-back East Coast Conference (ECC) playoffs, finishing runner-up at the 2022-23 ECC Championship game and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid, only fourth time in the program’s history. The team finished second in the conference standings during the 2022-23 season and fourth in the 2023-24 season. During the 2023-24 season, the Spartans ranked no. 9 in the NCAA Division II East Region Poll. Walker mentored two players to ECC honors, including Sarah Ericson, a 2022-23 ECC Player of the Year as a sophomore and a D2CCA First Team honoree.
Before St. Thomas Aquinas, Walker worked for Patient Grind Basketball and STACK Sports Performance, where she was responsible for running AAU team tryouts, practices, running group and individual sessions, and player development.
Earlier in her career, she was the assistant coach for Pace University for one season and helped the team reach the Northeast-10 Conference Championship. Walker began her basketball coaching journey at STAC where the team reached the ECC playoffs during her first year.
Walker graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. She was a three-year starter for the Bonnies dating back to her sophomore season. In her junior year, she helped the team make a Sweet 16 run in the NCAA Tournament and was named to the Atlantic-10 Conference All-Defensive Team during her junior year.
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