AU Hires Hoyas' Women's Hoops Coach

BY Phillip Marshall
AuburnUndercover
2 April 2012

AUBURN - Terri Williams-Flournoy, who took Georgetown women's basketball to unprecednted heights the past five seasons, has been named Auburn womens basketball coach.

Terri Williams-Flournoy took Georgetown to three straight NCAA Tournaments

Williams-Flournoy takes over a program that Joe Ciampi built into a national powerhouse, going to 16 NCAA Tournaments, 10 Sweet 16's and to the national championship game three times.

Nell Fortner, who took the Tigers to the Southeastern Conference championship in 2009, resigned after eight seasons last month.

Williams-Flournoy, a former Georgia assistant, led the Hoyas to three-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2010-12.

Ciampi told AuburnUndercover.com the Tigers hired a top-notch coach and recruiter.

"I thinks she is a great hire," Ciampi said. "She has the ability to recruit at a higher level. She's a great recruiter and a great on-the-floor game coach. She's earned the right to have this opportunity. She did a great job at Georgia, and she wanted the job at Auburn.

A 20-year coaching veteran, Williams-Flournoy led Georgetown to a four-year run from 2008-12, that was the most successful period in the program’s history, posting a 143-104 record during her eight-year tenure. In the last four seasons, the Hoyas were 93-41, advancing to the NCAA tournament in 2010, ’11, and ’12, while making a Sweet 16 appearance in 2011. They were a WNIT quarterfinalist in 2009.

“We are thrilled to welcome Terri Williams-Flournoy into the Auburn Family,” Auburn athleics director Jay Jacobs said. “Coach Williams-Flournoy has achieved success at every level of her basketball career as a player, assistant and head coach. She has an understanding of what it takes to be successful in the Southeastern Conference and brings a tremendous desire to win championships at Auburn. We welcome Terri, her husband Eric and two children to the Auburn family.”

Prior to her arrival at Georgetown, Williams-Flournoy was an assistant for 12 years at Southwest Missouri State (2002-04), Georgia (1996-2002), and Georgetown (1992-96). Williams-Flourney has been a part of three programs that have made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, including five that advanced to the Sweet 16 or beyond. She was part of a Georgia program that advanced to the 1999 Final Four and Elite Eight in 1997 and 2000.

“I am extremely excited for the opportunity to lead the women’s basketball program at Auburn,” Williams-Flournoy said. “I’m very appreciative to President Jay Gogue, Jay Jacobs and Meredith Jenkins for giving me the chance to guide this team and I am looking forward to joining the Auburn family.”

In 2011-12, Williams-Flournoy’s Hoyas advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and finished with a 23-9 record, while finishing fourth in the Big EAST. Georgetown defeated two top-ten teams, beating No. 10 Georgia and No. 7 Miami, and finished the regular season ranked 17th nationally. This season the Hoyas entered NCAA Tournament play ranked sixth nationally in field goal percentage defense and eighth in the country in scoring defense. Junior Sugar Rodgers was a unanimous first-team All-Big EAST selection and was an honorable mention All-America selection.

Williams-Flournoy helped Georgetown return to the Sweet 16 in 2010-11 posting an overall record of 24-11 and a mark of 9-7 in the BIG EAST. The Hoyas defeated five ranked teams, including Tennessee, and were ranked in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today Polls for the entire year, at one point reaching No. 11 on the AP Poll and No. 12 on the ESPN/USA Today Poll. Georgetown finished the season with an RPI of 12, as well as being ranked 23rd and 14th on the AP and the ESPN/USA Today Polls, respectively.

The Hoyas tied for seventh in league play and earned their second-consecutive berth in the NCAA Tournament where the Hoyas advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history. Georgetown fell in the Round of 16 to Connecticut, 68-63, despite leading almost the entire game.

During the summer of 2011, Williams-Flournoy was named an assistant coach for Team USA for the World University Games in Shenzhen, China. The team won a gold medal in competition.

In 2009-10, she led the squad to a 26-7 overall record and finished second in BIG EAST conference play with a 13-3 mark. Georgetown posted a 16-game win streak during the season and spent 12 weeks in the national rankings. The Hoyas earned the program's second bid to the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the second round.

The Hoyas led the nation in turnover margin (+8.12) in 2009-10 with a fast-paced tempo and also ranked third in steals per game (12.9). Individual honors followed with two players earning All-BIG EAST, a BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and an Honorable Mention All-America award. Williams-Flournoy was also named the Coach of the Year by the Black Coaches Association.

The previous season, Williams-Flournoy led the Hoyas to a 20-14 overall record and the program's first 20-win season since 1992-93. The Hoyas had an impressive run through the WNIT advancing to the quarterfinals and going further than any team had advanced in postseason play in the program's history.

Williams-Flournoy took over the Georgetown program on Aug. 27, 2004, becoming just the sixth women's basketball head coach in school history.

During her two seasons as an assistant at Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State), Williams-Flournoy was a part of two-straight NCAA Tournaments and two-consecutive Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championships. The 2003-04 team finished the season with a 28-4 record and won the regular-season MVC Championship.

At Georgia, Williams-Flournoy was recruiting coordinator for the program during a time when Georgia made six-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. During Williams-Flournoy's tenure, the Bulldogs won SEC titles in 1997 and 2000, the SEC Tournament in 2001 and produced seven WNBA players.

Williams-Flournoy's four-year stint at Georgetown as an assistant saw the Hoyas achieve great success in her first season (1992-93), as Georgetown earned a Big East championship and its first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament, finishing the year with a 23-7 overall mark, advancing to the Sweet 16. Williams-Flournoy was responsible for all aspects of recruiting and scouting along with conditioning, game planning and academic monitoring.

A 1991 graduate of Penn State University with a degree in business management, Williams-Flournoy was a four-year letterwinner player for the Lady Lions under former coach Rene Portland. Penn State won the Atlantic 10 Conference championship in each of Williams-Flournoy's last two seasons as a player and was a participant in the NCAA Tournament in three of Williams-Flournoy's four seasons. In 1988, 1990 and 1991 Williams-Flournoy and the Lady Lions advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and in 1991, Penn State was ranked No. 1 in the country.

Williams-Flournoy, sister of basketball guru Boo Williams of Hampton, Va., and her husband, Eric, have a daughter, Maya, 11, and a son, Eric, Jr., 8.