May 3, 2010

AMHERST, Mass. - The UMass women's basketball coaching staff is now complete as new head coach Sharon Dawley has announced that Steve Lanpher, Jen MacAulay, Morgan Valley and Alison Brown will join her on the sidelines for the Minutewomen. Lanpher and MacAulay were previously members of Dawley's staff at Vermont, while Brown played four years under Dawley at UVM. Valley, a former guard for the University of Connecticut, comes to UMass after two years on staff at Towson.

"I am extremely excited to have Steve, Jen, Morgan and Alison on my staff," said Dawley. "As a group, they have a wide variety of strengths, which will be a great asset for our program here at UMass."

Steve Lanpher - Associate Head Coach

Lanpher will serve as associate head coach at UMass. He previously was a member the Vermont staff for four seasons, most recently serving as the Catamounts associate head coach. His background includes 10 years of head coaching experience and nearly 20 seasons overall.

"Steve is a great communicator and is one of the best teachers I have every worked with," Dawley said. "He brings great energy to the program and is a fantastic recruiter, as well."

As a member of Dawley's staff at UVM, Lanpher helped guide the Catamounts to 91 victories, including three postseason appearances and two America East tournament titles.

Prior to joining the Vermont staff he spent four years as head coach of the Norwich University women's basketball team where he guided the Lady Cadets to back-to-back 25-win seasons in 2004-05 (25-4) and 2005-06 (25-5). In 2005-06, Norwich won the GNAC Championship and earned a berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Lanpher, a native of Hancock, Vt., started out his coaching career at West Rutland (Vt.) High School as the head girls' varsity coach from 1990-1993. Following his three-year stint at West Rutland he moved up to the collegiate ranks, taking over the women's basketball program at his alma mater, College of St. Joseph's (Vt.). In his one season at St. Joseph's he led the Fighting Saints to a 12-11 record.

Lanpher left St. Joseph's after one season and spent the next two years serving in the U.S. Army as a Ranger in the First Ranger Battalion in Savannah, Ga.

In 1997, Lanpher returned to coaching, starting up the women's basketball program at Dean College in Franklin, Mass. He spent one season recruiting for the new program and then led the team to a pair of winning seasons. He was named the NJCAA Region XXI Coach of the Year in 1998.

Following the 1999 campaign, Lanpher moved from Dean College to Pratt Community College in Pratt, Kan. In one season, Lanpher improved from an 8-23 mark his first year to an 18-13 record in his second year. It marked the first winning season for the Pratt women's basketball program since 1981 and the 18 wins were a school record. Pratt also advanced to the Region VI Tournament Elite Eight.

After a two-year stint at Pratt, Lanpher moved on to Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. He served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the women's program during the 2001-02 season.

Lanpher graduated from College of St. Joseph's (Vt.) in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Liberal Studies and earned his Master's degree in Elementary Education three years later.

Jen MacAulay - Assistant Coach

MacAulay comes to UMass after spending two highly-successful seasons as an assistant under Dawley at Vermont.

"One of Jen's biggest strengths is her ability to break down skills and teach the game," said Dawley. "She has a great demeanor and is passionate about coaching student-athletes."

MacAulay returned to her alma mater, Vermont, for the 2008-09 campaign after three years at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, and two seasons as a graduate assistant on the women's basketball staff at the University of New Hampshire.

From August of 2003 to September of 2006, MacAulay filled several roles at Carleton. She served as an assistant women's basketball coach for two seasons and was also the director of intramurals and sports camps at the school.

A 2002 graduate of Vermont, MacAulay won two America East Regular Season titles and went to both the NCAA and WNIT postseason tournaments during her career. She served as a co-captain as a junior in 2000-01 and finished her career ranked among the UVM's all-time leaders in three-pointers and assists.

In the classroom, MacAulay, a Business Administration major, was a Dean's List student and earned a spot on the America East Academic Honor all four years. She earned her Master's degree in Sports Studies from New Hampshire in May of 2008.

Morgan Valley - Assistant Coach

Valley joins the Minutewomen coaching staff following two seasons at Towson.

"Morgan has an unbelievable work ethic and is excellent at developing post players," Dawley said. "She has a wide variety of experience, including a four-year career as a player at UConn, and is no stranger to success."

A 2005 graduate of the University of Connecticut, Valley was a member of three NCAA national championship teams and won two BIG EAST titles while playing for the Huskies from 2000-04. She helped the squad to a four-year record of 139-8. Valley was tabbed a Parade and WBCA All-American in 2000 and earned a spot on the BIG EAST All-Star Team in 2001.

Valley spent the 2004-05 season as a student assistant for Geno Auriemma before serving as an assistant coach at the University of New Hampshire in 2007-08 where she was the recruiting coordinator for the Wildcats.

Prior to her time at Towson, Valley spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Holy Cross. During her time with the Crusaders, the team made back-to-back appearances in the Patriot League title game, winning the championship in 2007 en route to an NCAA tournament appearance.

In 2004, Valley was the Director of the Basketball Hall of Fame clinics in Springfield, Mass. She also served as the co-director of the Valley and Valley Girls Basketball Camp in Burlington, Vt. Valley was both a commissioner and a counselor at the Geno Auriemma Girls Basketball Camp in Storrs, Conn., as well.

Valley earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Development and Family Studies from UConn in 2005.

Alison Brown - Director of Operations

Brown joins the UMass staff as the team's director of operations after playing four seasons under Dawley at the University of Vermont from 2003-07.

"Alison played for Steve and I at Vermont and was one of the best captains I have ever had the pleasure to coach," Dawley said. "Her leadership ability will translate well as she begins her collegiate coaching career."

A four-year member of the Dean's List at UVM, Brown served as co-captain of the Catamounts as a senior in 2006-07 before graduating with a degree in Business Administration. She was a recipient of the team's Spirit Award in her final campaign with the Catamounts.

Brown, a Pennsylvania native, spent the 2009-10 season as an assistant varsity and junior varsity head coach of the girl's basketball team at Owen J. Roberts High School in Pottstown, Pa.