Jennifer Hoover Rejoins Staff at Memphis

Story Links

April 23, 2007

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Virginia’s Jennifer Hoover has rejoined the women’s basketball staff at the University of Memphis, the Lady Tigers’ head coach Blair Savage-Lansden announced on Monday.

“It’s very encouraging to add Jennifer Hoover to our basketball staff,” Savage-Lansden said. “She brings a lot of experience in recruiting as well as the Xs and Ox of the game. Her playing experience overseas and her success at Wake Forest will be a valuable asset to our post players in developing their games. Having worked with her in the past, I know Coach Hoover’s abilities as a coach, and with our staff now complete, we can focus on moving in the right direction.”

“I have truly enjoyed my time at Virginia and will miss my Wahoo family as my husband and I look forward to the new challenges that await us at Memphis,” Hoover said. “I will always have a special place in my heart for Virginia. I want to thank Debbie Ryan and the rest of the outstanding coaches and administrators that I worked with during my four years and the many wonderful young ladies that I had a chance to work with as well.”

Hoover was previously an assistant at Memphis during the 2002-03 season, working with Savage as a part of Joye Lee-McNelis’ staff. Hoover then joined the coaching staff at the University of Virginia as the Director of Basketball Operations, before being promoted to an assistant coach. Hoover became the Cavaliers’ recruiting coordinator and helped UVa finish the 2006-07 season with a 19-15 overall record.

“We will really miss Jen and all the things she’s contributed to our program over the last four years,” Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan said. “She’s been a great asset to our program, and I’m happy that she and John will be able to work on the same staff.”

Hoover, who also handled on-court coaching, scouting, player development, and summer camps at Virginia, has 13 years of assistant coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level. She started her coaching career at UMKC, working there for two seasons before becoming an assistant at Virginia Commonwealth for two seasons. She then spent two seasons at current Conference USA foe East Carolina from 1998-2000 before moving to James Madison, where she helped JMU to the WNIT Final Four.

Hoover, who played under her maiden name Jenny Mitchell, is still Wake Forest’s career leader in points (1,728) and in rebounds (1,006). A player from 1988-91, Hoover is the only women’s basketball player at Wake Forest to total more than 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 points in a career. While at WFU, Hoover was a three-time All-ACC honoree, and was also named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll. She was named a Fast Break All-American during her junior and senior years, and was a member of the South team which won the bronze medal in the 1989 Olympic Festival in Oklahoma City. Hoover led Wake Forest to four consecutive winning seasons and the school’s only appearance in the NCAA Tournament. She was named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Team. In January 2007, Hoover was inducted into Wake Forest’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Following her collegiate career, Hoover was a professional player for the Solna IF Basketball team in Stockholm, Sweden for the 1991-92 season. She played in 1993 on the Athletes in Action USA Fall Exhibition tour, and the Australian Spring tour.

A native of Roanoke, Va., and a graduate of William Byrd High School, Hoover is a 1991 graduate of Wake Forest where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communications. In 2002, she was named as one of the Top 50 ACC women’s basketball players.

Hoover and her husband John have an infant daughter Maggie.