TicketsMay 29, 2009
CINCINNATI -- First-year University of Cincinnati head women's basketball coach Jamelle Elliott has announced the hiring of five members to her coaching staff. Former Xavier and Toledo head coach Mark Ehlen, LaRita Wilcher, and Todd Moore will join the Bearcats as assistant coaches, while Dana Rieger will serve as Director of Basketball Operations, and Sahar Nusseibeh as a graduate assistant.
"I am excited to get my staff together and get started," Elliott said. "We are fortunate to have assistants that have experience at different levels of basketball and recruiting ties across the country. My staff is filled with individuals that want to work hard and want to win, and that is all I can ask of them."
Ehlen has compiled 22 years of Division I head coaching experience, posting a 362-279 overall record with Xavier and Toledo. Ehlen spent 13 seasons as the head of the Toledo program, capturing Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year honors on four occasions and leading the Rockets to eight MAC titles and six postseason berths. In nine seasons at Xavier, Ehlen won 122 games and led the Musketeers to the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history in 1993. Prior to Xavier, Ehlen spent one season as an assistant at Dayton.
A native of Kenton, Ohio, Ehlen coached at Forest Park High School of Cincinnati for five seasons, compiling a 100-18 record and a state championship in 1984. He was twice named the Ohio High School Coach of the Year and was inducted into the Greater Cincinnati Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. Ehlen earned a bachelor of arts in communications education from Ohio State in 1975 and a master of arts in broadcast communications from Bowling Green in 1979.
Wilcher, who will serve as Elliott's recruiting coordinator, spent the 2008-09 season at Louisiana Tech, helping the Lady Techsters to a Western Athletic Conference regular-season title and a berth in the Women's National Invitational Tournament. Prior to her stint at Louisiana Tech, Wilcher served as an assistant coach at South Alabama for six seasons, where she was instrumental in helping lead the Jaguars to two Sun Belt Conference regular season titles and two postseason appearances.
Prior to her days at South Alabama, Wilcher served for one season as an assistant coach at New Mexico State (2001-02), and three seasons at Lewis University (1998-2001). Wilcher earned her bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Long Beach State in 1998 where she played one year for the 49ers after transferring from Lewis University where she played her first three seasons.
Moore, an accomplished high school, college, and A.A.U. coach, has 15 years of coaching experience . Moore got his start at Simon Gratz High School in Philadelphia, Pa., as an assistant boy's basketball coach, where he worked with eight Division I signees and two future NBA players. Moore then spent one season as an assistant men's coach at Morgan State and two seasons at Howard Community College, before becoming head boy's A.A.U. coach in Columbia, Md. Moore also has stops at Dundalk Community College (1997-2000), Benedict College (2001-02), and Edward Waters College (2002-03). He has spent the last four seasons as varsity girl's coach at Potter's House Christian Academy (2005-07), and Esprit de Corps Center for Learning (2007-09) in Jacksonville, Fla. Moore earned a bachelor of business administration in organizational management from Edward Waters College in 2005.
Rieger follows Elliott from Connecticut, where she spent four years. She has nine years of collegiate administration experience, including serving two years as Executive Assistant to the Director of Athletics at Connecticut. She spent one season as an assistant women's basketball coach at Western Michigan in 1995-96 and has administration experience in marketing, development, and compliance. Rieger earned her associate's degree from Concordia College in 1992, a bachelor's from Albion College in 1994, and her master's from Western Michigan in 1995.
Nusseibeh will join the Bearcats' staff as a graduate assistant after earning a bachelor of science in International Relations/International Business from American University this month. A four-year letterwinner for the Eagles, Nusseibeh was named to the Patriot League all-Rookie team as a freshman and helped AU to the second postseason berth in school history in 2008-09.