After parting ways with former head coach Wendy Schuller this past Mar 31, the Eastern Washington University Eagles women’s basketball team announced this past Friday that they have hired Jodie Gleason to be the team’s new head coach.
In her introduction, Coach Gleason talked about why taking on the Head Coach of the Eagles is the right for her at this moment in her career,
“The department is passionate about helping student-athletes flourish both on the court and in the classroom. This student-centered approach aligns with my values as a leader and creates additional excitement to get started.”
Jodie Gleason, Eastern Washington University Women’s Head Basketball Coach
Gleason joins the Eagles after spending the past 12 seasons as the associate head coach for the University of Seattle RedHawks for the past five seasons. In Gleason’s time with the University of Seattle RedHawks, the RedHawks would finish the regular season in the top three in scoring offense in 2018, 2019, and this past season.
In her time with the RedHawks, Gleason also helped lead the team to postseason success getting the team their first-ever conference championship and NCCA Tournament Appearance in the 2017-2018 season.
Gleason’s ties to the region are strong after having spent the past five seasons in Seattle, and Eastern Washington University Associate vice president and Director of Athletics Lynn Hickey addressed the hiring of Gleason,
“We are very excited to have Coach Gleason agree to become the new leader of our women’s basketball program. She brings a wealth of coaching and leadership experience to our program, as well as having outstanding networking and recruiting connections in our state and region,”
Eastern Washington University associate vice president and Director of Athletics Lynn Hickey
However, this will not be Gleason’s first time as a head coach as before arriving at the University of Seattle; she served as head coach at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California, and Butte College in Oroville, California.
Gleason, in her 12 seasons with the Lumberjacks, had a record 201-137. At Humboldt State, Gleason led a successful program on and off the court; her team qualified for four NCCA Division II Tournaments and won the California Collegiate Athletic Association in back-to-back years in 2009 and 2010. In 2015 she was the named coach of the year by the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Also, during her time at Humboldt State, three of her players were named All-Americans, 14 were selected to the All-Conference Team, and 34 were named first-team academic award winners.
At Butte Community College, Gleason amassed a record of 107-45 during her five seasons with the Roadrunners.
Coach Jodie Gleason will begin her tenure with the Eastern Washington Eagles with a career record of 308-182. However, when Gleason begins her new job in Cheney, it will be her first time as head coach at the Division 1 Level.
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Northwest Sports Desk 