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

UC San Diego Women's Basketball Camps

Head Coach Charity Elliott

In her first season at the helm of the UC San Diego women’s basketball team, Charity Elliott directed a team which lost four starters from the previous year, to a 25-10 mark, the second-most wins in school history. Additionally, the Tritons were ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation, advanced to the California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament championship game and NCAA West Region semifinal game.

Elliott spent the previous three seasons as the head coach at Portland State, a NCAA Division I member that competes in the Big Sky, where she produced one of the nation’s biggest turnaround stories.

After the Vikings went 3-23, including 1-13 in the Big Sky Conference, during her first year in 2004-05, Portland State jumped to 12-16 and 6-8 in the conference during her second season. The nine-win improvement ranked among the nation’s top 20, and the Vikings qualified for the Big Sky Tournament for the first time since 2002-03 season. In what would turn out to be her final campaign with PSU last year, Elliott guided the Vikings to a 12-18 overall record and an 8-8 mark in Big Sky play. Portland State’s season would come to an end last year after a 77-67 loss to Weber State in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament.

Elliott took over the Portland State job after serving as an assistant coach for Arkansas for one season where she helped the Razorbacks to a 16-12 mark. Prior to that position, she was the head coach at Cal Baptist, a NAIA school in Riverside, where she guided the Lancers to a 16-16 record in her final year, snapping the program’s 10-year streak of losing seasons.

During her coaching career she also served in assistant roles with Southwest Baptist (a Div. II school that compiled a 56-28 record during her three years), Southwest Missouri State (her alma mater) and San Diego State (under coach Beth Burns in 1993-94).

A former Division I player, Elliott began her 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 helped the Bears to a 31-3 record as a senior and the program’s first-ever Final Four appearance in 1992.

During her time as an NCAA Division I assistant, Elliott served under Beth Burns, once again the head coach at SDSU, Susie Gardner, now the head coach at Arkansas, and Cheryl Burnett, now the head coach at Michigan. All three of those head coaches are among the most respected coaches in the country.

After her playing career at Southwest Missouri State (now known as Missouri State), Elliott began her coaching career as an assistant at San Diego State.She helped coach the Aztecs to a 26-5 record in the 1993-94 season, as San Diego State advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Elliott then returned to Springfield, Mo., to join Burnett’s staff at her alma mater. Elliott would spend two seasons as an assistant at Missouri State, helping the Bears post a combined mark of 46-17 (.730 winning pct.) with two NCAA Tournament appearances.

Following the 1995-1996 season, Elliott became the recruiting coordinator at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo. In her three years at SBU, the team went 56-28 (.667 winning pct.) and reached the NCAA Division II Tournament twice. The 1998-1999 squad finished with a 21-7 mark. She then went on to serve as head coach with Adelaide and Cal Baptist before returning to the bench as an assistant to Gardner at Arkansas. In her only season in Fayetteville before coming to Portland State, the Lady Razorbacks posted a 16-12 record while playing in the perennially-strong Southeastern Conference.

As a player, Elliott, formerly Charity Shira, was an integral part of Missouri State’s first NCAA Final Four team during the 1991-1992 season. She ranked in the top 10 nationally in free throw percentage and was named SMS’ Woman of the Year. Dubbed “Instant Offense” by Burnett, the Bears posed a 57-8 record during her two-year career.