Saint Thomas University Women's Basketball

PERSONAL  Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration (UNC Wilmington, 2010); Master’s Degree in Sports Administration (St. Thomas, 2011)  Year as Head Coach: 7th  Year as STU Head Coach: 7th  COACHING EXPERIENCE  St. Thomas University – Head Coach (2017 – Present)  Lamar University – Assistant Coach (2013 – 2017)  St. Thomas University – Assistant Coach (2011 – 2013)  COACHING ACCOLADES  NAIA National Tournament Appearance (2018, 2019)   Sun Conference Tournament Appearance (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023)  20-plus win season (2018, 2019, 2023)  Southland Conference regular-season Championship (2014)  Women's National Invitation Tournament Appearance (2014)   BY THE NUMBERS  One Sun Conference Player of the Year Four First-team All-Conference  One Sun Conference Defensive Player of the Year  Three Second-team All-Conference  Three 1,000-Points Club  PLAYING EXPERIENCE  Four-year starter at UNC Wilmington  Second on the UNCW All-Time list for games played at 119  Third on the UNCW All-Time list for steals with 185.    North Atlanta High School Second-team All-State honors.  BIOGRAPHY  Coach Walker is in her 7th season as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach for the Bobcats after being hired prior to the 2017-18 season.   Walker returned to St. Thomas University as the Head Coach before the 2017-18 season, immediately returning the Bobcats to the spotlight of the NAIA National Tournament for the first time since the 2014-15 season. Since taking over as the bench boss for STU, Walker has led St. Thomas to the NAIA National Tournament twice in four seasons. In her first season, saw two players (Katie Rienas and Samara Auguste) reach the 1,000-points club. Rienas (First-Team), Auguste (Defensive Player of the Year/First-Team), and Keiana Brooks (Second-Team) all were recognized with postseason awards. In the program's first NAIA National Tournament appearance in three seasons, Walker nearly led the Bobcats to an upset over reigning back-to-back NAIA National Champion, Marian, losing 70-66.   In year two, Walker guided the Bobcats to an 11-game winning streak from November 29 - January 5. Following the season, Auguste earned her second career All-Conference honor and was recognized as the Sun Conference Player of the Year, Joining Auguste on the First-Team was Ebony Griffin. STU advanced to the NAIA National Tournament for the second consecutive season under Walker, falling to reigning National Champion, Dakota Wesleyan in the first round. Auguste became the first NAIA All-American honoree in the Walker-era, being named as an Honorable Mention.   During the 2019-20 campaign, Brooks earned her second career Sun Conference Second-Team honor.  Walker re-tooled the Bobcats in her fourth season at the helm, guiding the Bobcats back to the Sun Conference Championship game and winning 19-games through the challenging COVID-19 season. In her fifth season, Walker led the Bobcats to yet another appearance in the Sun Conference Tournament. During the 2022-23 season, Walker guided the Bobcats to a 21-8 overall record, going 12-3 in Sun Conference play, earning them a first-round bye in the Sun Conference tournament as the two-seed. This season made its mark in the history books earning the best start in program history and adding a third 20-plus win season to Walker's tally. It was during the Bobcats' match up against Thomas University that Walker earned her 100th career win as the Head Coach of the Bobcats. YEAR-BY-YEAR   Year Overall Win Pct. Conference Win Pct. Post-Season 2017-18 21 - 10 .677 16-2 SUN .889  Sun Conference Regular Season and Tournament Runner-up, NAIA National Tournament  Appearance 2018-19 21 - 10 .677 13-5 SUN .722  Sun Conference Regular Season Runner-up, NAIA National Tournament Appearance 2019-20 10 - 18 .357 7-11 SUN .389 2020-21 19 - 5 .792 14-4 SUN .778  Sun Conference Tournament Runner-up, SUN Tournament appearance 2021-22 11 - 16 .407 7-9 SUN .438  Sun Conference Tournament appearance 2022-23 21 - 8 .724 12-3 SUN .800  Sun Conference Regular Season Runner-up, SUN Tournament appearance Overall 103 - 67 .606 69 - 34 .670

Personal  Hometown: Miami, FL  Education: Bachelor of Science, Business Administration with a concentration in Small Business & Entrepreneurship (2009 DeVry University); Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Sports Administration (2010 St. Thomas University)  Coaching Experience  St. Thomas University Asst. WBB (2017 - Present)   South Florida Elite MBB (AAU) (2013 - Present)  Miami Country Day School MBB (2015 - 2016) Westwood Christian School MBB (2011 - 2015)  Brito Miami Private MBB (2009 - 2011)  Coaching Accolades  2017- 18 NAIA National Tournament Appearance  2018-19 NAIA National Tournament Appearance  2017-18 Sun Conference Regular Season Runner Up   2018- 19 Sun Conference Regular Season Runner Up   2022- 23 Sun Conference Regular Season Runner Up   2020- 21 SUN Tournament appearance  2021- 22 SUN Tournament appearance  2022- 23 SUN Tournament appearance  4 FHSSA District Championships  1 FHSSA Regional Championship  FHSSA State Championship Tournament appearance   By the Numbers  Three 20+ Win Season  2018-19 NAIA All American Honorable Mention   2018-19 Sun Conference Player of the Year   Coached Sun Conference Defensive Player of the Year ‘18   7 First Team All-Conference Members  3 Second Team All-Conference Members  1 Academic All-Conference Player