Gayle Coats begins her first season at Mount in 2012-13.
Coats returns to her Northeast Conference (NEC) roots after afour-year playing career at Fairleigh Dickinson. A 2007 graduate ofFairleigh Dickinson, Coats comes to the Mount after serving as anassistant coach at UNC Greensboro last season. In her one year withthe Spartans, Coats assisted with recruiting, scouting, gamepreparation, practice planning and player development along withserving as the team's academic liaison.
"I am extremely excited to add Gayle to our staff," saidWhitten. "I have known Gayle for a few years and have alwaysadmired her work ethic. The name of the game is recruiting andGayle does an excellent job in that area. Having been a formerrecruiting coordinator, she knows effort it takes to land topprospects and will be an invaluable addition to our staff. Sheis also good with X's & O's, player development, and scoutingas well. We are looking forward to Gayle's contributions toour program."
Prior to her time in Greensboro, N.C., Coats started in thecollegiate coaching ranks at Longwood University for four seasons.Serving as the recruiting coordinator in her time with the Lancers,Coats coached and recruited one All-Independent first-teamselection, two All-Independent second-team selections, anAll-Newcomer and two players that received honorable mention. Inher first season, the Farmville, Va., program went 16-13 to notchthe program's best win total in its Division I era.
"I am thrilled about the opportunity to work for Coach Whittenand Mount St. Mary's University," said Coats. "I have known him fora few years and always been impressed with his work ethic,knowledge of the game, and his vision for the program. I am veryexcited to learn from him and his staff."
She also served as the Assistant Video Coordinator during the2007 season for the WNBA's New York Liberty. With the Liberty,Coats assisted with the scouting reports of the opponents and withfilm exchange. She also served as an AAU coach for three teams from2002-2007 and was the basketball trainer/assistant strength coachfor the U-Turn Sports Performance Academy.
A four-year letterwinner at Fairleigh Dickinson, Coats helpedthe Knights to NEC Tournament berths in her freshman and seniorcampaigns. Coats appeared in 92 games with 38 starts, 219 points127 rebounds, 148 assists and 87 steals in her career. She averaged5.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game while ranking second on theteam in assists (71) and steals (39) in her senior campaign. Aco-captain and a member of the NEC Academic Honor during her tenurein Teaneck, Coats graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson in 2007 with a3.5 grade-point average.
