Original article (Aarika Hughes Ups Coaching Staff With Five New Additions) on Loyola Marymount University’s athletic website lmulions.com.

LMU Head Coach, Aarika Hughes, has expanded her staff for the 2024-2025 women’s basketball season with five new additions. TEXT REMOVED

Atkinson joined LMU after spending one season as assistant coach at Cal Poly, where she helped lead the Mustangs to a fifth-ranked finish (13-7) in The Big West. Before Cal Poly, Atkinson spent two seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Wyoming. In her first season at Wyoming (2022-2023), she helped the Cowgirls secure a second-place finish in the Mountain West and a Women’s NIT appearance. The following season, the Cowgirls finished third in the conference with an 11-7 and went to the WNIT again.

Before her tenure at Wyoming, Atkinson served as the head coach for the New Mexico State Aggies for five seasons, where her leadership was instrumental. She earned WAC Coach of the Year honors in the 2017-2018 season after leading the Aggies to their fourth consecutive WAC regular-season title. The next year, NMSU won the regular-season and tournament titles, earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Prior to her time at NMSU, Atkinson was an assistant coach at Colorado State for three seasons, during which the team won three consecutive Mountain West championships. She also spent three seasons at South Dakota, leading the Coyotes to three postseason appearances, including their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2014. Additionally, Atkinson was an assistant coach at NMSU for eight seasons post-graduation.

Atkinson began her playing career at Western Nebraska Community College before transferring to Wichita State in 2000. She graduated from Wichita State in 2003 with a degree in elementary education and later earned a master’s degree in educational curriculum from NMSU in 2008.

“Brooke brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the court and will impact the program immediately,” says Coach Hughes. “Her recruiting ties reach from the West Coast to the Midwest to overseas. Brooke understands how to understand and connect with every kind of person, and that’s huge. I’m happy we got her!”

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