Reaves Joins Lady Bulldog Basketball Staff
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? Mississippi State women’s basketball head coach Sharon Fanning has named Sharrona Reaves as assistant coach. The hiring is pending the approval of the Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning.
"We are excited Sharrona Reaves will join the Mississippi State family," said Fanning. "Sharrona’s experience as a player in the Southeastern Conference on a Final Four team will help her relate well with the expectations of our recruits.
As a coach, she has been a recruiting coordinator in the BIG EAST with tremendous success. As a head coach, she has made decisions which will help her understand the need of a head coach. Sharrona is a competitor and a winner. We also expect Starkville to be a great fit for her husband and two children."
Reaves comes to Mississippi State from Long Island University C.W. Post in Brookville, N.Y. As head coach of the Pioneers, Reaves’ squad finished third in the East Coast Conference last season, going 17-12, and she coached three players to all-Conference honors. In 2007, the team advanced to the ECC championship game, finished 18-12 and had three players named to the all-Conference team. The Pioneers also posted two consecutive winning seasons for the first time in five seasons.
Reaves is no stranger to NCAA Division I basketball, having served as a recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at West Virginia University for three years. While at WVU, Reaves helped build the Mountaineers into a national powerhouse with two top 20 recruiting classes. Among those she coached at WVU were Meg Bulger, BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and Yolanda Paige, a second round WNBA draft pick. She also helped sign Olayinka Sanni, the 18th overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft.
In 2006, the Mountaineers were a BIG EAST Conference Tournament finalist and became the first 12 seed in NCAA history to reach the conference finals. In 2005, WVU played in Women’s National Invitation Tournament after posting its second straight 20+ win season.
Reaves’ first coaching job was at Troy University as a recruiting coordinator and assistant coach. The team won the 1997 Mid-Continent Conference championship and went 23-7 en route to a showing in the NCAA Tournament, both firsts in school history.
As a player, Reaves is familiar with the Southeastern Conference. She was a member of the 1994 University of Alabama Final Four team. She was also elected team captain of the squad and the team finished the year 26-7 and ranked third in the nation.
Reaves and her husband, Kenley, have two children Kenden, age 9, and Kimora, age 7.