West Point - Head women’s basketball coach Dave Magarity recently announced the hiring of Jada Pierce as an assistant coach on his staff. Pierce makes her way to West Point with a wealth of coaching experience under her belt and is coming off a one-season stint at Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Md.
"I am extremely pleased that we were able to attract Jada here to West Point to join our coaching staff," Magarity said. "She has a strong background, and her experience will be invaluable as an on-the-floor coach and recruiter. I have known Jada for a number of years, and her work ethic and professionalism have always impressed me."
Pierce spent the 2009-10 season at Mount St. Mary’s where the team authored a 10-18 mark. With more than 13 years of collegiate coaching experience, she has helped three teams advance to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to her brief tenure at the Mount, Pierce spent the previous two years serving as an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts. She helped the Minutewomen earn a berth to the Atlantic-10 Tournament in both of her seasons, while coaching two all-conference selections and an all-rookie team honoree.
A native of Philadelphia, Pa., Pierce served as an assistant coach at nearby Marist during the 2006-07 campaign, helping the Red Foxes to their best season in program history with a 29-6 record, its first two NCAA Tournament victories in program history and a Sweet 16 appearance.
Pierce was head coach at Cheyney University for two years before her time at Marist. She was an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell for three seasons (2001-04) prior to her stint as head coach at the Division II program. Pierce helped the River Hawks to a 51-36 record, a trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2003 and a spot in the Northeast-10 Tournament every year. In two years as an assistant coach at the University of Delaware (1999-01), she aided in a 47-13 overall mark and 30-6 America East record while helping the Blue Hens to the conference title and a trip to the NCAA Division I Tournament in her second season. Pierce got her start in coaching as an assistant at St. Michaels from 1997-99, helping the Purple Knights to the Northeast-10 Tournament in 1999.
A 1997 graduate of West Chester University, Pierce started every game in her senior year and served as co-captain for a Golden Rams team that went 22-7 and earned its first NCAA Tournament berth in school history.
Pierce rounds out a staff that includes Shandrika Lee-Gerch and Erin Mills, both of whom enter their second seasons at Army in 2010-11. Pierce will focus on coaching the Black Knights’ post players after the departure of former associate head coach Maureen Magarity in mid-May. Magarity moved on to take her first head coaching position at the University of New Hampshire.
"I am extremely honored to be at West Point and part of the Army women’s basketball family," Pierce said. "I’ve always had great respect and admiration for Army and feel that this is an exciting opportunity for me to coach at one of the finest institutions in the country. Coach Magarity is someone that I’ve admired for a long time, especially with what he and his staff have accomplished in recent years. I look forward to coaching the cadets-athletes here at West Point and working towards being one of the elite programs in the Patriot League."
The Black Knights are coming off a season in which they posted an 11-18 mark and finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in the final Patriot League standings. All five starters will return for the 2010-11 campaign, including first team All-Patriot League performer Erin Anthony in the post. Pierce will work closely to further develop Anthony as the Army star embarks on her final season on the banks of the Hudson.
