Nicki Motto will be elevated to an assistant coach on July 1.
Motto Promoted To Assistant Coach For Women's Basketball
6/22/2009 10:04:59 AM
University of Evansville women’s basketball coach Misty Murphy announced on Monday that current Director of Basketball Operations Nicki Motto will be promoted to assistant coach, effective July 1. Motto will replace former UE assistant coach Hillary Beck, who recently accepted an assistant coaching position at Western Carolina University at the start of June.
Motto will work with UE’s backcourt players, while also assisting with scouting and recruiting at UE. Motto was a standout point guard at Miami University in Ohio from 2002-05, after beginning her collegiate career at Indiana University. Motto helped the RedHawks to the 2004 Mid-American Conference championship behind a school-record 79 three-point field goals as point guard. She would finish her Miami career ranked fourth in school history in career three-point field goals made with 182, despite playing just three seasons for the RedHawks.
After graduating from Miami in 2005, Motto began her collegiate coaching career in 2006 as an assistant coach at Missouri Valley Conference rival Indiana State. While at ISU, Motto worked with the Sycamores’ post players, while also assisting with team travel and Indiana State’s Sycamore Squad. Motto also served as Division III Earlham College’s assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in 2007, before joining the UE staff last summer as the program’s Director of Basketball Operations.
“Nicki has been an incredibly valuable member of our coaching staff this past year as the Director of Basketball Operations, and when our assistant coaching position came open, I knew right away that Nicki would be the right person for the job,” said Murphy. “Her work ethic is unquestioned, she has a tremendous basketball I.Q., and she relates extremely well with our players and already has their respect from the job she did last season.
“I am extremely excited to add Nicki to our staff as a full-time assistant, and I know that she will do a great job this season.”
Evansville will return six letterwinners from this past season’s NCAA Tournament team this winter, led by senior guard Amy Gallagher (10.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg).