Original article (Women’s Basketball Hires April Phillips as Assistant Coach) on the University of Arizona’s athletic website arizonawildcats.com.
Head women’s basketball coach Adia Barnes has hired April Phillips to be her third assistant coach.
Phillips has spent the last three seasons as an assistant at Loyola Marymount with the last two as associate head coach under head coach Charity Elliott. Phillips, who was named recruiting coordinator due to her elite recruiting abilities, helped LMU land two of the best classes in program history in 2017 and 2018 and brought in back-to-back WCC Newcomers of the Year with Jackie Johnson winning in 2017 and Gabby Green winning in 2018.
Most recently, the Lions had their most successful season during Phillips’ tenure in 2017-18 as Loyola Marymount finished with a record of 19-11, including 11-7 in conference play. Her hard work has paid off as she has been named to the WBCA Thirty Under 30 twice in 2017 and 2018, which recognizes 30 up-and-coming women’s college basketball coaches age 30 and under at all levels of the game.
“I’d like to thank Adia Barnes, Dave Heeke, Suzy Mason and all administration for extending this opportunity,” Phillips said. “I am humbled to join the Arizona family . Adia has the program heading In the right direction, not only on the floor, but off the floor and I’m excited to be apart of her journey. After visiting campus, I was blown away by the support for the women’s basketball program and the resources available for student-athletes to achieve success. I am eager to build relationships with this team, staff, and U of A community. I am positive that student-athletes as well as parents of student-athletes will feel high levels of comfort and confidence in this program. I’m excited to to get started.”
Prior to her time at Loyola Marymount, Phillips spent the 2014-15 season as a graduate manager at Georgia Tech and the 2013-14 season as an assistant coach at the University of New Haven. Prior to working with the New Haven Chargers, Phillips served as Coordinator of Basketball Operations at Seton Hall University. During her time at Seton Hall, Phillips’ direct responsibilities included assisting Hall of Fame head coach Anne Donovan with practice planning, recruiting, student-athlete welfare and other day-to-day operations.
Phillips was the co-president and head trainer and coach at S&A Next Level Basketball, an organization that runs NCAA-certified women’s leagues in addition to various clinics and camps from 2010 to 2013. She served as the general manager of basketball operations of Sportsplus in Cincinnati, Ohio from 2010 to 2011, where her responsibilities included marketing of basketball leagues, camps and training. Phillips is also a certified basketball official and has coached players from both the high school and collegiate ranks.
A native of Long Beach, Calif., Phillips began her collegiate basketball career at Georgia Tech, playing for the Yellow Jackets during the 2005-06 season. Following her freshman year, Phillips transferred to Xavier where she played basketball and competed in track and field. She was named to the All-Atlantic 10 third team her senior season and owns the school’s outdoor shot put record as a member of the track and field team.
As a student-athlete, Phillips is a proven winner having advanced to the NCAA Tournament with Xavier all three years of her career and won two Atlantic 10 titles. During her senior season in 2010, the Musketeers advanced all the way to the Elite Eight and was one shot away from a Final Four appearance.
After graduating from Xavier with a degree in Business Information Systems and minors in Communication and Gender & Diversity Studies, Phillips was invited to preseason camp with the New York Liberty of the WNBA. She played professionally in Israel, Finland and Belgium.