Ashley Earley Joins Virginia Women's Basketball Staff
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia women’s basketball coach Joanne Boyle announced Wednesday (April 25) that Ashley Earley has been hired as an assistant coach with the Cavalier program.
At Virginia, Earley will mentor the post players and assist in all recruiting efforts.
“I am blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of this staff at the University of Virginia,” Earley said. “I believe that excellence is a habit and the University of Virginia is the epitome of this. UVa’s tradition both in the classroom and on the court is unparalleled. Upon meeting Coach Boyle and her staff I was immediately impressed with their vision and excitement about the direction of the program and wanted to be a part of their future successes. I look forward to what we will accomplish at Virginia.”
Earley arrives in Charlottesville after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Marquette, where she served in a similar capacity developing the Golden Eagle post players. Marquette finished 24-9 in her first season in 2010-11 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
“Ashley is one of the most exciting up-and-coming coaches in the business today,” Boyle said. “As one of the most successful post players in Vanderbilt history, Ashley brings not only experience, but also a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to Virginia. She has been fortunate to learn from some of the most well-respected coaches in the country, and we are thrilled to welcome her to the Cavalier family.”
Prior to her arrival at Marquette, Earley was an assistant at Rhode Island during the 2009-10 season and spent two years on the staff at Tennessee Tech in 2007-08 and 2008-09. She also served as a graduate assistant at Alabama during the 2006-07 campaign.
Earley played collegiately at Vanderbilt from 2001-05 and led the Commodores in scoring (18.4 ppg), rebounding (9.4 rpg) and steals (2.1 spg) as a senior captain during the 2004-05 season. That year, she was a unanimous first-team All-SEC selection, Kodak All-Region, Associated Press honorable mention All-American and Full Court Press second-team All-American. She paced the Southeastern Conference in field goal percentage and offensive rebounds and was a candidate for both the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award.
Earley scored more than 1,300 career points at Vanderbilt and helped the team to four NCAA Tournament berths, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2002 and two appearances in the Sweet Sixteen (2004, 2005). The Commodores also won the SEC Championship in 2002 and 2004.
Following her career at Vanderbilt, Earley was drafted by the WNBA’s Indiana Fever. She played the 2005-06 season for Maccabi Tel Kabir in the Safsal Israeli League.
A native of Memphis, Tenn., Earley was the 2001 Tennessee Gatorade High School Player of the Year. She was a 2001 Parade and WBCA/Reebok All-American as well as a USA Today second team All-American out of Briarcrest High School.
Earley earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Vanderbilt University in 2005 and her master’s degree in marketing from the University of Alabama in 2007.
Earley replaces former assistant coach Katie O’Connor, who left the program for personal reasons relating to her health.