Current time in Baltimore 9:29 a.m. Monday, May 12, 2008
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The Loyola College women's basketball team has been the beneficiary of almost 20 years of collegiate coaching experience from Assistant Coach Marti Whitmore. The Buffalo, N.Y., native will serve her third years as an assistant coach at Loyola during the 2007-2008 season.
"We are tremendously fortunate to have someone with Marti's experience and successes on our staff," Logan said. "First and foremost, Marti is a terrific person. Having gotten to know her during my years in the Atlantic 10, I know that she possesses a strong work ethic, knowledge of the game and incredible recruiting skills which will benefit our program immediately."
At Loyola, Whitmore works primarily with the Greyhounds' perimeter players on the court, and she coordinates many aspects of Loyola's recruiting efforts off.
She began her coaching career in 1985 as the head coach at Scotia-Glenville High School, just outside Albany, N.Y., and quickly advanced through the ranks.
After two years coaching high school basketball, one at Scotia-Glenville and another at Corning (N.Y.) East High School, Whitmore was named the head coach at Elmira College, an NCAA Division III school in New York state. She took over a team that finished 0-26 in 1987-1988 and led the Soaring Eagles to a 10-win season, which was a school-record at the time, in 1990-1991.
Whitmore spent a total of four seasons at Elmira before taking a position as assistant coach at her alma mater, St. Bonaventure, in 1992. She spent a year on the bench as an assistant, then became the Bonnies' head coach in 1993.
As the head coach at St. Bonaventure, Whitmore compiled an 85-110 record from 1993-2000. During that span, she coached seven players that earned All-Atlantic 10 honors, including the school's all-time leading scorer, Hilary Whitman.
In 1997-1998, the Bonnies won 16 games, the second-most in school history, under Whitmore's guidance. She was named the New York State Division I Coach of the Year that season, and her team also was a high-achiever in the classroom.
St. Bonaventure's women's basketball team posted the eighth-best grade point average in all of NCAA Division I and earned a spot on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll.
"I'm extremely excited to have someone with Marti's success and experience as a head coach join on our staff," Logan said. "That experience is an enormous help to me as we work together to build a successful program."
After taking a year off from coaching from 2000-01, Whitmore returned to the sport as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky for the 2001-2002 season. She was named the Hilltoppers' interim head coach for the final five games of the season, and her squad reached the WNIT with a 16-14 record.
Whitmore then returned to St. Bonaventure where she spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach.
As a player, Whitmore had an excellent career at St. Bonaventure. She was the team captain during her senior year, helping the Bonnies win a school-record 17 games. She earned team Most Valuable Player honors, was the WSBU Radio Female Athlete of the Year and was presented with the St. Bonaventure Athletic Department's Letterwinner Award. Whitmore finished her career with a total of 727 points and 448 rebounds.
A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Whitmore is a graduate of Ten Broeck Academy in Franklinville, N.Y. She, and her husband, Matt, reside in Towson, Md.
