Nelson, Whitmore Join Women's Basketball Coaching Staff

Duo Joins Head Coach Nancy Funk, Long-time Assistant Wanda Richardson

<b>Katie Nelson</b> joins the JHU women's basketball staff after a successful playing career at UMass and coaching stints at Navy and New Hampshire.

Katie Nelson joins the JHU women's basketball staff after a successful playing career at UMass and coaching stints at Navy and New Hampshire.

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Sept. 14, 2009

BALTIMORE, MD - Johns Hopkins University Women's Basketball coach Nancy Funk announced today that Katherine (Katie) Nelson and Marlene (Marti) Whitmore have joined the Blue Jay coaching staff as assistant coaches. Nelson and Whitemore join an experienced staff that includes Funk, who is entering her 24th season as the head coach at Johns Hopkins, and Wanda Richardson, who will serve as an assistant coach for the 17th year during the 2009-2010 season.

Nelson, the daughter of current Johns Hopkins men's basketball coach Bill Nelson, has served stints as an assistant coach at Navy (2007-08) and New Hampshire (2008-09) over the last two years. In both instances she worked primarily with the team's guards, assisted with all scouting, game-planning and recruiting. At Navy she also helped coordinate all video operations, including film breakdown and scouting.

"An exciting addition to our staff, Katie brings a fresh, young perspective along with her Division I playing and coaching experience," Funk noted. "Katie will be assisting in guard development along with opponent scouting, video analysis and recruiting. She will have an immediate impact on our overall guard productivity and I look forward to her contributions."

Nelson played at the University of Massachusetts from 2001-06, started all four years at point guard and served as a team captain as a senior. She concluded her career as the school's all-time leader in three-point field goals (191) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1:36) and also ranked among the top five in assists (366), games started (103) and minutes played (3,632). During her career she was named to both the Atlantic 10 and Athletic Director's Honor Roll and was a member of the UMass Student Athlete Advisory Committee.

After graduating from UMass with a degree in sports management and a minor in sociology, Nelson served as a coaching intern with the WNBA's Washington Mystics for one season and later served one year with the Mystics' video operations staff.

Nelson attended the McDonogh School in Baltimore and was a four-year letterwinner in soccer, basketball and softball. In basketball, she guided McDonogh to the A.I.S. championship in 1998 and 1999 and the team was ranked as high as 25th in the country by USA Today. She served as a team captain of all three sports as a senior and earned First Team All-Baltimore City, Second Team All-Metro, Second Team All-State and McDonogh School Female Athlete of the Year.

Whitmore brings experience as a head coach and assistant coach at the Division I and Division III levels to Homewood. After serving as the head women's basketball coach at Elmira College from 1988-92, she accepted a position as an assistant coach at her alma mater, St. Bonaventure, in 1992. At Elmira she inherited a team that had posted an 0-26 record the year before she arrived and quickly turned the program around as the Soaring Eagles set a school record for wins in her third season.

Whitmore remained an assistant at St. Bonaventure for just one year before being promoted to the head coaching position prior to the 1993-94 season. She served for seven years as the head coach of the Bonnies and compiled an 85-110 record during her tenure. She coached seven players who earned All-Atlantic 10 honors and also coached the school's all-time leading scorer.

Whitmore was named the New York State Division I Women's Basketball Coach of the Year in 1997-98 after guiding St. Bonaventure to 16 wins - the second-highest total in school history at that point.

"Marti brings a wealth of coaching experience as a former Division I head coach and most recently as an assistant at Loyola College," Funk noted of Whitmore, who has more than 20 years of coaching experience to her credit. "She will be assisting in team offensive analysis and forward/post development. We are fortunate to have an enthusiastic veteran coach like Marti on the staff."

After taking a year off following the 1999-2000 season, Whitmore returned to coaching as an assistant at Western Kentucky during the 2001-02 season and helped guide the Hilltoppers to the WNIT. She has since served as an assistant at St. Bonaventure and Loyola College (MD).

Whitmore graduated cum laude from St. Bonaventure in 1985 with a degree in physical education and a minor in biology.

Johns Hopkins posted a 14-13 record last season and advanced to the Centennial Conference Championship game for the 11th time since 1995. The Blue Jays will open the 2009-2010 season on Saturday, November 21 at home against Wheaton (MA).

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