ASU hires Natasha Adair as next women’s head basketball coach

Arizona State named Natasha Adair its next head women’s basketball coach on Sunday. She takes over the program following Charli Turner Thorne’s retirement after 25 seasons.

Adair is a veteran college coach with over 20 years of experience. She spent the past five at Delaware, leading the Blue Hens to a Colonial Athletic Association title and NCAA Tournament appearance this season. Delaware reached the WNIT twice in Adair’s previous four years in charge.

The Maryland native began her coaching career as an assistant at Georgetown University in 1998 and first became a head coach at the College of Charleston in 2012. The Cougars reached the Women’s Basketball Invitational postseason tournament in each of her two seasons before she took over as Georgetown’s head coach in 2014.

She’s also contributed to Team USA as the U18 Women’s National Team assistant coach in 2018 and a U19 assistant coach in 2019.

“For nearly three decades, I’ve had the honor and privilege to coach and develop women student-athletes and am grateful for the opportunity to continue to do so here at ASU and in the Pac-12,” Adair said in a press release. “From the moment I stepped onto campus, I knew this was the place for me to build and grow our women’s basketball program to a national power.”

Adair is the first black woman to get hired as ASU’s women’s basketball head coach.

She will take over a program that missed the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year this past season after seven consecutive appearances — excluding 2020.

The Sun Devils finished the season on a seven-game losing streak, including a forfeit, with a 12-14 record. They were a strong defensive unit all year, but their shot-making struggled down the stretch.

Previously, ASU reached the Sweet Sixteen five times with two Elite Eight appearances under Turner Thorne.

“ASU has a tradition of success, and me and my staff will work tirelessly to win,” Adair said.

@CoachAdair with the win!! Congrats to you and your family! @SunDevilWBB nation stand up! https://t.co/HPYQXMZ4C7

— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) March 27, 2022

Adair is also a founding member of the Black Coaches United, an advocacy group with men’s and women’s coaches, and has been Delaware’s representative on the CAA United for Change committee.

She played college basketball for Pensacola Junior College and then South Florida from 1990-94.

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