UConn's Shea Ralph Named Vanderbilt Head Women's Hoop Coach

STORRS, CT — University of Connecticut women's basketball team assistant coach Shea Ralph has been named the Vanderbilt University women's basketball head coach, the teams announced Tuesday.

Ralph becomes the sixth women’s basketball head coach in Vanderbilt history.

A 2001 graduate of UConn, Ralph has spent the last 13 seasons in Storrs as an assistant coach. As a player and assistant, Ralph helped UConn to seven national championships.

"I would like to congratulate Shea on being named the head coach at Vanderbilt University," head coach Geno Auriemma said. "I know everyone here at UConn is incredibly excited for Shea. It's an amazing opportunity to be at such a great university in a great city. Shea has had a huge impact on the UConn women’s basketball program, as both a player and a coach. We're going to miss her tremendously – she brought passion and energy to everything she did in Storrs. But we know she’s going to do amazing things at Vanderbilt and we wish her the best."

As an assistant coach, Ralph helped lead the Huskies to 13 straight NCAA Final Fours, 25 conference championships and six NCAA titles.

She has coached 14 All-Americans and four National Players of Year at UConn.

Ralph guided UConn to the 2000 NCAA Championship as a player and was named an All-American, Honda Award winner and NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player the same year.

After graduating in 2001 with a degree in exercise physiology, she was drafted into the WNBA by the Utah Starzz.

UConn will immediately commence a national search for the vacant assistant coach position.