UCSD Women's Basketball Camps - University of California at San Diego

UC San Diego Women's Basketball Camps
Head Coach Charity Elliott

Charity Elliott finished her second season as the head coach at UC San Diego with a record of 27-5, which tied the school record for most wins in a single season. Coach Elliott guided her team to the NCAA Division II West Regional Semifinals for the second straight year.

Ranked as high as No. 7 nationally during the season, UCSD claimed the California Collegiate Athletic Association Conference Championship with an impressive 19-1 conference record. The Tritons received an at-large bid in the 2009 NCAA

Tournament West Regional, defeating Cal State Dominguez Hills 66-65 in the first round. UCSD’s season came to an end the following day with a 52-49 defeat to No. 2 nationally ranked University of Alaska Anchorage.

Prior to her arrival on the La Jolla campus, Elliott spent three seasons as the head coach at Division I Portland State, where she led the Vikings to a remarkable turnaround during her tenure.

After PSU finished with an overall record of 3-23 during her first year in 2004-05, the Vikings improved to 12-16 and 6-8 in the Big Sky Conference during her second season. The nine-win improvement ranked among the nation’s top 20 and Portland State qualified for the Big Sky Tournament for the first time since the 2002-03 season. PSU finished with an overall mark of 12-18 and an 8-8 record in league play during her final season as coach of the Vikings.

Before taking the Portland State job, Elliott served as an assistant coach for Arkansas for one season, helping the Razorbacks to a record of 16-12. Prior to that, she served as head coach at Cal Baptist for two seasons, where she guided the Lancers to a 16-16 record in 2002-03, snapping the program’s run of 10 consecutive losing seasons.

She has also served in an assistant capacity with Southwest Baptist (a Division II school that compiled a 56-28 record during her three years), Southwest Missouri State (her alma mater), and San Diego State (under head coach Beth Burns in 1993-94).

Elliott began her playing career at Rice University, where she played for two seasons. She averaged 16 points

per game as a sophomore before transferring to Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State). While at SMS, Elliott guided the Bears to a 31-3 record as a senior and the program’s first-ever Final Four appearance in 1992. An integral part of one of the most successful teams in program history, she ranked in the top 10 nationally in free throw percentage and was named SMS’ Woman of the Year at the end of the 1991-92 season. The Bears posted a 57-8 record during her two-year career.

After graduating from Southwest Missouri State with a degree in psychology, Elliott began her coaching career as an assistant at San Diego State, where she helped coach the Aztecs to a 26-5 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1993-94. Elliott then returned to Springfield, Mo. to join Cheryl Burnett’s staff at her alma mater. She spent two seasons as an assistant at Missouri State, helping the Bears post a combined record of 46-17 with two Big Dance appearances.

Elliott also earned her Master’s in education while at Southwest Baptist. She resides in San Diego with her husband Chris.