Coaching Staff

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Coaching Staff
Paul Thomas
Head Coach
Wayne State, 1986
Fourth Year
Head coach Paul Thomas enters his fourth season at the helm of the Saint
Mary’s women’s basketball program. Saint Mary’s Director of Athletics
Mark Orr announced the hiring of Paul Thomas as the new head women’s
basketball coach at Saint Mary’s College on August 9, 2006. Thomas
became the eighth head coach in the program’s 28-year history.
In three seasons, Thomas has accumulated
a 40-50 overall record, a 21-21 mark in West
Coast Conference play, and has an overall
career record of 276-208 in 17 seasons
of coaching.
Last season, the Gaels'
defense led the WCC in blocks (212) and rebounds, both offensively (483)
and defensively (820). Thomas also produced his first WCC Defensive Player
of the Year in Louella Tomlinson, the third player all-time in Saint Mary's
history.
In 2008-09, Thomas’ Gaels advanced to the second round of the West
Coast Conference Tournament for the first time in four seasons, as they
defeated Loyola Marymount in their opening game.
The 2007-08 season was an important year for the women’s basketball
program, as they made great strides and improved their RPI by 56 spots from
the year before. In addition to lowering their RPI, the Gaels participated in
a much stronger West Coast Conference, as the WCC finished as the eighth
strongest Division I conference.
Thomas helped the Gaels gain spots in the RPI by compiling a tough
2007-08 schedule, facing 10 teams that made the postseason, including six in the
NCAA tournament and four in the WNIT. Behind Thomas’ scheduling Saint Mary’s
strength of schedule ranking improved from No. 202 to No. 68, as they improved an
impressive 134 spots in just one season. Saint Mary’s posted wins against four of the
10 postseason teams, including eventual WCC tournament champions, San Diego.
Thomas continues to instill his style of play in the Gaels, combining a high
intensity defense with a free flowing offensive. The Gaels averaged 69.7 points per
game, ranking second in the WCC. Thomas guided Jontelle Smith to her second
consecutive WCC All-Conference selection, leading Saint Mary’s offensively as
she averaged 16.8 points per game, while knocking down 84 three-pointers on
the year. Smith’s 84 three-pointers boosted her career count to 190, clinching the
Saint Mary’s record for three-pointers made in a career.
Defensively, the most impressive stats have been achieved by a member
of Thomas’ first recruiting class, Louella Tomlinson. The forward broke the
NCAA Division I record for blocks in a single season, totaling 156 in her
freshman campaign. In addition to topping the NCAA, the Aussie shattered
the WCC single season record, while breaking every Saint Mary’s block record
in her debut season and being named to the WCC All-Freshman Team. As
a sophomore, Tomlinson broke her single season record in blocks again,
recording 161 rejections. She was also named WCC Defensive Player of the
Year and earned First Team All-WCC honors.
In his first season (2006-07), Thomas immediately implanted his
up-tempo style to lead the Gaels to their best West Coast Conference
record since the 2001-02 season. Under the direction of Thomas,
Jontelle Smith was named to the All-WCC First-Team while
Maija Lahde tabbed honorable mention recognition. Lauren
Shaughnessy and Eghosa Obaiza garnered WCC All-Academic
honors.
The Gaels scored over 75 points six times, including
a 100-91 outburst against Northridge and a 95-73 victory
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2009-10 Saint Mary's Women's Basketball Media Guide
Coaching Staff
over Toledo. Saint Mary’s 68.5 points per game ranked second in the conference.
The Gaels ranked in the top three in the WCC in eight different categories. SMC
paced the conference in rebounding and was second in blocked shots. Ten different
Gaels ranked in the top five in individual categories.
In his first appearance in McKeon Pavilion, Thomas led the Gaels to one of
their biggest comebacks in recent memory. The Gaels used a 17-3 run and 48 secondhalf points to upend the visiting Hurricanes in a thrilling 69-68 victory.
Thomas immediately instituted the “Red Zone” into the women’s basketball
program upon arriving, helping family, friends, and fans create interest in Saint
Mary’s women’s basketball throughout the campus and surrounding communities.
Members of the group receive multiple benefits in addition to season tickets, such
as, t-shirts, chalk-talks, socials, holiday parties, media guides, and an invitation to the
end of the year banquet. The “Red Zone” president is Thomas’ number two, Sue
Ellen Thomas.
Thomas joined Saint Mary’s after serving as head women’s coach at Cal Poly
Pomona for 12 seasons. Thomas led Cal Poly Pomona to back-to-back NCAA
Division II National Championships in 2001 and 2002. While at Cal Poly Pomona,
Thomas reached the Sweet Sixteen four out of the last seven seasons, won five
California Collegiate Athletic Association champions and was named the NCAA
Division II National Coach of the Year and NCAA District 8 Coach of the Year in
2002.
In 12 seasons at Cal Poly Pomona, Thomas’ accumulated an overall record
235-108 (.685), and was 115-32 (.782) over his last five seasons, which included three
conference championships and two national titles.
Thomas reached the Division II NCAA Tournament eight out of the 12 seasons
with a 14-6 postseason record. He has recruited and coached two National Players of
the Year, six First Team Kodak All-Americans, four CCAA Players of the Year and
15 First Team All-Conference players. Prior to becoming head coach at Cal Poly
Pomona, Thomas served as an assistant coach at Cal Poly Pomona for four seasons.
Thomas joined Cal Poly Pomona out of Hamline University in St. Paul,
Minnesota where he served as head coach for a pair of seasons. Prior to joining
Hamline, Thomas was the women’s assistant coach at his alma mater of Wayne
State College. He worked with the Wildcats for three seasons (1985-88) earning
his bachelor’s degree (1986) and his master’s degree (1988) in physical education.
Thomas also worked at Pender High School in Pender, Nebraska where he was a
girls’ basketball assistant coach.
Thomas played two years of college basketball at Midland Lutheran College
(Fremont, Nebraska) before transferring to Wayne State to concentrate on
coaching. He played his high school ball at Creighton High School in Creighton,
Nebraska, where he was an all-state forward and the team’s Most Valuable Player
for the Bulldogs.
Paul and his wife SueEllen reside in Orinda with their son Jacob
(11) and daughters Michaela (10) and Annika (7).
Year
1978-79
1979-80
1980-81
1981-82
1982-83
1983-84
1984-85
1985-86
1986-87
1987-88
1988-89
1989-90
1990-91
1991-92
1992-93
1993-94
1994-95
1995-96
1996-97
1997-98
1998-99
1999-00
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
Total
SMC YEAR-BY-YEAR
COACHING RECORD
Overall
19-9
16-10
6-17
6-16
20-9
24-6
21-10
19-9
12-17
6-21
19-9
21-7
22-6
19-8
12-14
15-12
13-18
17-10
15-11
20-9
26-7
20-10
26-6
16-13
11-17
15-14
15-13
12-16
14-14
15-17
11-19
503-374
Conf.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2-12
12-2
12-2
11-3
8-6
6-8
8-6
6-8
7-7
9-5
9-5
10-4
11-3
11-3
9-5
4-10
7-7
7-7
7-7
8-6
6-8
7-7
176-131
Coach
Annette Chiara
Craig Johnson
Craig Johnson
Craig Johnson
S. Brown/J.Koury
Terri Rubenstein
Terri Rubenstein
Terri Rubenstein
Terri Rubenstein
Terri Rubenstein
Terri Rubenstein
Terri Rubenstein
Terri Rubenstein
Terri Rubenstein
Terri Rubenstein
Terri Rubenstein
Terri Rubenstein
Terri Rubenstein
Terri Rubenstein
Kelly Graves
Kelly Graves
Kelly Graves
Michelle Jacoby
Michelle Jacoby
Michelle Jacoby
Michelle Jacoby
Michelle Jacoby
Michelle Jacoby
Paul Thomas
Paul Thomas
Paul Thomas
The Thomas Files
Hire Date: Career at SMC: Career Record: Birthdate: Education: Marital Status:
Children:
Coaching Career:
August 9, 2006
40-50/Three Seasons
276-208/17 Seasons
October 28, 1962
M.S in Physical Education (Wayne State, '88)
B.S. in Physical Education (Wayne State, '86)
Married to SueEllen Thomas
Son Jacob (11 years)
Daughter Michaela (10 years)
Daughter Annika (7 years)
**2006-pres. - Saint Mary's
**1994-2006 - Cal Poly Pomona
1990-1994 - Cal Poly Pomona
**1988-1990 - Hamline University
1985-1988 - Wayne State College
**Head Coach
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Coaching Staff
Tasha Burnett
Assistant Coach
Cal Poly Pomona, 2003
Fourth Year
Entering her fourth season as assistant coach
at Saint Mary’s College is Tasha Burnett.
Burnett came to SMC with head coach Paul
Thomas from Cal Poly Pomona, after serving as an assistant
coach under Thomas for four seasons. Burnett’s duties include
assisting in recruiting, scouting, camps and clinics, and running
the summer individual skills camp.
Behind the direction of Burnett, who works primarily with post
players, freshman Louella Tomlinson was named to the AllFreshman Team following the 2007-08 season. After the 2008-09
season, Tomlinson was named WCC Defensive Player of the Year
and earned All-WCC First Team honors. In addition to earning
all-conference accolades, Tomlinson broke the NCAA singleseason record for blocks, with 156 in 2007-08.
Burnett played for Thomas at Cal Poly Pomona and was one of
the catalysts in its run to the 2001 NCAA Division II national
championship. Burnett had a sensational two-year career for Cal
Poly Pomona and played a major role in the first of two consecutive national championships. She tied an NCAA record by
hitting all 11 of her field-goal attempts in a national quarterfinal
victory over Pace University. She earned second-team All-CCAA
honors and made the All-Elite Eight Tournament team.
She was the Athlete of the Year at Lynwood High School, where
she earned All-League honors in basketball and also competed in
track and field. Burnett finished second in the state in the triple
jump. She went on to Los Angeles Harbor College, where she
was a Kodak All-American in 1994 while leading her team to a
California Junior College State championship. In 2007 Burnett
was inducted into the Los Angeles Harbor College Hall of Fame.
After leaving L.A. Harbor College, she passed up several NCAA
Division I scholarships to stay home and take care of her family. During that time, she served as a coach at Inglewood High
School for four seasons. Burnett then resumed her playing career
at Cal Poly Pomona in 1999.
Burnett graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in 2003 with a degree
in Kinesiology.
In May 2009, Burnett gave birth to twin girls, Makai and Maika.
Burnett and her family currently resides in Concord, CA.
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Jesse Clark
Assistant Coach
Pacific Union, 2002
Third Year
Jesse Clark begins his third season with the
women’s basketball program at Saint Mary’s
College, and 13th season in the collegiate
coaching ranks. Clark’s duties include assisting with the recruiting process, planning and implementation of practices, scouting,
and the development of the Gaels Player Development Program.
Clark spends the majority of his time with the guards, and
in 2007-08 it was junior guard Jontelle Smith that reaped the
benefits. Behind Clark’s guidance, Smith was named to the AllWCC First Team, as she broke multiple offensive records. Smith
not only reached the 1,000-point career mark, but also broke the
Saint Mary’s record for three-pointers in a career and season.
Prior to coming to Moraga, Clark served as the director of video
operations at Stanford. He was responsible for game editing and
scouting, in addition to overseeing film exchange. A native of
Tacoma, WA, Clark arrived on The Farm following a two-year
stint as an assistant coach at the University of San Francisco
from 2003-05.
Prior to his appointment at San Francisco, Clark served as the
women’s basketball assistant coach at Cal State Bakersfield during the 2002-03 campaign, helping the Roadrunners to a 29-2
record and a Great Eight finish.
Clark first became involved in college athletics at Pacific Union
College, where he served in a number of capacities during a
seven-year tenure (1996-2002). In addition to his responsibilities
as Assistant Director of Athletics and Director of Sports Information, Clark also served as the assistant women’s basketball coach
from 1996-97. He then took over as the women’s basketball head
coach from 1997-2002, leading the Pioneers to the California
Pacific Conference tournament four of five seasons.
Clark earned his B.S. in Business Education from Pacific Union
College in 2002. He is currently completing coursework toward a
Master’s of Education in Organization and Leadership from the
University of San Francisco.
Clark currently resides in Walnut Creek with his wife, Kelly, who
is in the process of obtaining her masters degree in Kinesiology
at Saint Mary’s College and serves as strength and conditioning
coach for many of the SMC teams. The couple has a son, Jacob,
who will celebrate his fifth birthday in March.
2009-10 Saint Mary's Women's Basketball Media Guide
Coaching Staff
Tracy Johnston David Wingard
Coordinator of
Player Development
McDaniel College, 1993
Second Year
Assistant Coach
Saint Mary's, 2000
Third Year
Entering her fourth year as assistant coach at
Saint Mary’s College under Paul Thomas is
Tracy Johnston. Johnston, formerly Morris,
coached at Saint Mary’s previous to the Thomas era, from
2000-03. Johnston returned to the Gaels’ coaching staff after
a three-year absence. Johnston’s duties include coordinating all
recruiting, scouting, game preparation, alumni relations, Red
Zone liaison, and team camps and clinics.
As the liaison of the Red Zone, Johnston helps coordinate
special events, such as, “Meet the Gaels” and “Red Zone Holiday
Party.” Johnston also facilitates the planning of the end-ofseason banquet, pre-game chalk talks, and post-game socials.
Johnston became an assistant coach after graduating from Saint
Mary’s in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in Health and Human
Performance. A four-year letterwinner for the Gaels, Johnston
has a long list of accolades from her career at Saint Mary’s.
During her playing days, Johnston was named to the West Coast
Conference Top 50 All-Time team. She was the WCC Player
of the Year her junior year, a three-time All-WCC First Team
member and the WCC Freshman of the Year (‘97).
Johnston led the conference in scoring for three straight years
and is second all-time in the conference in scoring. She became
the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,807 points, breaking a
15-year old record. In addition to her individual achievements,
Johnston led the Gaels to the program’s first NCAA tournament
appearance in 1999 and the WNIT in 2000. In 2007 Johnston
was inducted into the Saint Mary’s Hall of Fame for her
achievements.
Johnston prepped at Campolindo High School in Moraga, CA
and currently resides in her hometown with her husband Jim,
son Cason (8), and daughter Samantha (6).
Entering his second season as the
Coordinator of Player Development for the
Saint Mary's women's basketball team is
David Wingard. Wingard's duties include providing day-to-day
support to the coaching staff including a variety of practice,
game, and program development.
During games, Wingard tracks the team to give the coaching staff
insight into each offensive and defensive possession. He has
worked with Coach Thomas to develop a system that evaluates
the SMC players' effeciency during games and practices.
After pursuing a 10-year career in sales and marketing, Wingard
has committed himself to his life's passion, coaching women's
basketball. For three years, Wingard was the Head Varsity Coach
at Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek, CA.
Wingard graduated from McDaniel College in Maryland. He
currently resides in Walnut Creek, CA.
Stephanie Harrison
Director of
Basketball Operations
Saint Mary's, 2008
Second Year
Stephanie Harrison enters her second year as
the Director of Basketball Operations for the
Saint Mary's women's basketball team. Harrison's duties include
overseeing the Red Zone, film exchange, traveling with the team
to coordinate meals, and assisting Coach Thomas in communicating with transportation, hotel arrangements, and opposing
teams.
RedZone members are greeted by Harrison before each game,
always there with a welcoming smile and homemade goodies.
When Harrison is not working with the Gaels, she enjoys baking
and specialty cake designing.
Harrison graduated from Saint Mary's in 2008 after a two-year
soccer career with the Gaels and two years as manager due to
medical reasons. Currently, Harrison is working on her master's
degree in Kinesiology.
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