WNBA Los Angeles Sparks

Hall of Fame coach Marianne Stanley Returns To Sparks As Assistant Coach

Published on May 9, 2008 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Los Angeles Sparks News Release


LOS ANGELES - Hall of Fame coach Marianne Stanley will rejoin the Los Angeles Sparks as an assistant coach, the team announced. Stanley previously was an assistant under head coach Michael Cooper in 2000. Laura Beeman is the team's other assistant coach.

"We are thrilled to have Marianne back with the Sparks," said general manager Penny Toler. "She brings tremendous experience at the professional and collegiate level and will be a great fit to round out our coaching staff."

"I am excited to return to the WNBA," Stanley said. "I enjoyed my previous time with the Sparks and I am looking forward with great anticipation to what should be a history-making season."

Stanley served as assistant coach at Rutgers University the last two seasons. After serving as an assistant with the Sparks, Stanley had a two-year stint as head coach of the WNBA Washington Mystics and three years as an assistant with the New York Liberty. She was named WNBA Coach of the Year in 2002, the same year she was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

A player on two national championship teams at Immaculata College near Philadelphia, Stanley guided Old Dominion to three national championships. She also coached at Penn, USC, California and Stanford. Stanley posted a 416-222 (.652) record in 21 seasons as a college head coach, guiding her teams to 10 NCAA Tournament berths. Among the outstanding players she coached in college was Lisa Leslie at USC.

During a 13-year span (1983-96), Stanley served on numerous USA Basketball coaching staffs as both an assistant and head coach, including the 1986 gold-medal winning World Championship team.

Stanley has also been an active member of the community, working with such groups as Hoops For Africa, the YMCA, Hope House Foundation and National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Stanley's daughter and son-in-law, Michelle and Jonathan Worden, live in Long Beach with their children, Madelyn, Jonathan, Jr., and Dylan.

The Sparks begin their 2008 WNBA regular season May 17 at Phoenix. The game airs at 12:30 p.m. PDT on ABC. After a five-game opening trip that also includes stops at the expansion Atlanta Dream, Indiana, Washington and Chicago, the Sparks play their home opener at STAPLES Center on June 6 at 7:30 p.m. with a rematch against the Mercury.

For Sparks' ticket information, call 1-877-44-SPARKS. Tickets also are available by calling 1-877-WNBA-TIX or by visiting either Ticketmaster.com or wnba.com/tickets.

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