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Barbara Thaxton, a 24-year coaching veteran, begins her fourth season as associate head coach at California under head coach Marianne Stanley.
Thaxton assists with all areas of the basketball program - practice preparation, bench coaching, game scheduling and player skill development. She has coached Hall of Famers, Olympians, and Kodak and high school All-Americans. Included in that group are Lisa Leslie, Anne Donovan, Medina Dixon and Tracy Claxton.
In Thaxton's first season of recruiting for the Bears (1996-97), she maintained her reputation as one of the top recruiters in the nation, landing the 14th-best recruiting class in the nation, according to Blue Star Scouting Report and others.
Thaxton, who served as assistant head coach at South Carolina (1994-95) before coming to Cal, began an 18-year association with Stanley in 1982. That year, she began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant to Stanley at Old Dominion. In her five seasons at ODU (1982-87), Thaxton helped build one of the most successful women's basketball programs in the nation, running up an impressive 139-46 record. During Thaxton's tenure, the Lady Monarchs also made four NCAA appearances, including winning an NCAA title in 1985.
She followed Stanley to the University of Pennsylvania as an assistant coach for two seasons (1987-89) before joining Stanley as associate head coach at the University of Southern California for four years (1989-93). USC compiled a 71-46 record and earned three NCAA Tournament bids during Thaxton's stint with the school, advancing to the Elite Eight in 1992 and the Sweet 16 in 1993.
As the recruiting coordinator at USC, Thaxton's recruiting classes were rated among the best in the nation in 1990, '92 and '93. The 1990 class included 1996 Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie, who was named National Freshman of the Year in 1991 and Naismith Player of the Year in 1994.
Prior to joining the collegiate ranks, Thaxton was one of the most successful high school coaches in the country, posting an eight-year record of 117-38 at Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven, Conn. (1974-82). Her teams won three state championships (1978-80), and she was awarded virtually every coaching award in the state, including coach of the year in 1979 and 1980.
At Wilbur Cross, Thaxton coached Karen Draughn and Tracy Claxton, both of whom went on to All-America collegiate careers at the Division I level. Claxton led Old Dominion to the 1985 NCAA title, earning MVP honors at the Final Four. Draughn led Cheney State to the NCAA Final Four in 1982 and 1984.
Thaxton has garnered numerous other awards, including in 1980 - Woman of the Year by her sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha and the New Haven County Tip-Off Club's Outstanding Scholastic High School Women's Coach of the Year.
A native of Elizabeth, N.J., Thaxton received a bachelor's degree in business administration from South Carolina State and a master's degree in urban education from Southern Connecticut State. Thaxton is a member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, Black Coaches Association and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She is the mother of three children, Hayward, Michael and Monique.
THAXTON AT A GLANCE
Birthdate:
December 3
Hometown:
Elizabeth, NJ
High School:
Chester (SC) HS
Alma Mater:
South Carolina State, B.S.
Southern Connecticut State, M.A.
High School/College Coaching Experience:
1974-82 Head Coach, Wilbur Cross HS
1982-87 Assistant Coach, Old Dominion
1987-89 Assistant Coach, Pennsylvania
1989-93 Associate Head Coach, USC
1994-95 Assistant Head Coach, South Carolina
1996- Associate Head Coach, California
Career Records:
As a head coach: 117-38 (8 years)
As an associate/assistant: 235-200 (16 years)
Combined: 352-238 (24 years)
"Working with Marianne Stanley has been a great learning experience. She is bright, energetic and very knowledgeable of the game. Her record reflects her abilities."
-Barbara Thaxton
