The Indiana Fever announced today the hiring of Hall of Fame coach Marianne Stanley as the franchise's new head coach.
Stanley has an extensive and impressive resume in women's basketball from the high school, collegiate and professional ranks. She most recently served as an assistant coach for the Washington Mystics since 2010 and is fresh off a 2019 WNBA championship.
"I fell in love with the people and organization…It just seemed like a natural fit…It seemed like the right time for me to make this move."@PatBoylanPacers went one-on-one with our new head coach Marianne Stanley ???????? pic.twitter.com/qU4pN1ntEd
— Indiana Fever ⛹️♀️???? (@IndianaFever) November 26, 2019
From 2002 to 2003, Stanley was the head coach of the Mystics and was named the WNBA Coach of the Year. She has assistant coaching experience with three WNBA franchises, including the New York Liberty and the Los Angeles Sparks. Before her time in the league, Stanley spent many years within the collegiate ranks at Old Dominion, leading them to an NCAA title in 1985. Her other stops were at Penn, USC, Stanford, California and as an assistant at Rutgers.
In addition to the hiring of Stanley, Tamika Catching's role now expands to General Manager to go along with her Vice President of Operations position.
"We are excited to bring Marianne Stanley in as our Indiana Fever Head Coach," said Tamika Catchings at the press conference. "Stanley is hands down one of the most decorated and experienced coaches in the WNBA. The thing that excites me the most is her ability to see and teach the game."
"I am excited to join the Indiana Fever organization and to have an opportunity to work with the great core group that has been built," said Stanley. "I felt a connection, a fire and an excitement about stepping on board as the next head coach of the Fever."
Stanley was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.
Galligan's Thoughts
This was kept very quiet, and I have to compliment the Fever franchise on their diligence with this hire. You can tell they took this very seriously, they took their time and truly were after the best fit for their young team. I am a fan of this hire. I love how the Fever have always been strong advocates for women in our game. It was time for a change, and although I am a bit surprised, I think this is a fantastic fit for Indiana. It's hard to argue against anyone hiring Marianne Stanley. She is an icon and pioneer in our game.
