Georgetown women’s basketball head coach Natasha Adair is departing the program to accept the same job at the University of Delaware, according to a team spokeswoman. Georgetown has not yet named a replacement.
Adair first joined the Georgetown program in 1998 as an assistant coach, staying with the team until 2004 when she took an assistant job at Wake Forest. Her first head coaching position began in 2012 at the College of Charleston where she stayed until 2014.
She began coaching at Georgetown before the 2014-15 season, and completed three full seasons. Her tenure was characterized by a marked improvement of a floundering team struggling to find success and lacking a winning record since the departure of long-time head coach Terri Flournoy-Williams. In her first season, the team finished 4-27 (2-16 Big East) and missed the postseason, while her most recent and final campaign finished 17-13 (9-9 Big East), earning a WNIT bid with homecourt advantage.
In her three seasons at Georgetown, Adair also embodied the Hoya ethos of “men and women for others,” leading the team in extensive community service.
“When we see her involved, it makes us want to get involved,” said former guard Mykia Jones. “When you see the type of person Coach A is, you can’t help but to love her, because she’s such a wonderful person and she’s always wanting to help other people.”
Adair has found success developing her players on the court. She has mentored a total of 12 athletes who progressed to play at the professional level over her coaching career, as well as being particularly influential to Rebekkah Brunson, a forward currently playing for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, who has won four WNBA championships as well as three WNBA All-Star selections.
The head coaching position of the women’s basketball team at University of Delaware opened with the retirement of former head coach Tina Martin. Martin spent 21 seasons with University of Delaware, bringing the program to national prominence. Under her leadership, the team made four NCAA tournament appearances, as well as five WNIT appearances. She retires with 408 wins, as the winningest coach in Blue Hen basketball history, on both the men’s and the women’s sides.
“Adair personifies the dream candidate to lead the new era of Blue Hens basketball,” said UD President Dennis Assanis. “She instantly brings the attributes that we seek in our new hires to drive our programs to success. With a deep commitment to both academics and athletics, she has mentored and guided student-athletes to achieve their career goals both on and off the court. Natasha is an outstanding leader who will actively engage our players, our campus and our UD community.”
Georgetown now begins the process of naming a replacement for Adair.
“I have full confidence that, with all we have to offer here on the Hilltop, we will find a coach that will continue our momentum and achieve our goal of being one of the best programs in the BIG EAST Conference,” said Georgetown athletic director Lee Reed in a press statement.
