ELON, N.C. – Elon University head women’s basketball coach Charlotte Smith announced the hiring of Cristy McKinney as her first Phoenix assistant coach today, July 25.
McKinney comes to Elon with a wealth of coaching experience, having spent five seasons (2005-2010) as the head coach at Clemson University following 12 years as the head coach at Rice University. McKinney is Rice's all-time winningest coach with 216 career victories and led the Owls to two Western Athletic Conference titles and a total of six postseason tournament appearances.
“I am very excited to have Coach McKinney on board,” Smith said. “She is a consummate professional and is well respected in the basketball community. Not only does she bring experience having coached on different levels, but she is also experienced in all aspects of coaching. She has a great basketball mind but more importantly she is passionate and invested in the well-being of the student-athlete. Coach McKinney is a great addition to the Phoenix family.”
While at Clemson, McKinney led the Lady Tigers to a 58-93 record, including upset victories in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in 2008 and 2009. The wins in the ACC Tournament marked the first time in 10 years Clemson won games in back-to-back ACC Tournaments. McKinney also led the Lady Tigers to a pair of victories over rival South Carolina in her final two seasons.
“I am very excited to come to Elon and work with Coach Smith,” McKinney said. “She’s a bright young coach who is going to be a great leader at Elon and I am looking forward to working with her and becoming part of the Phoenix family.
Coming out of high school I was going to come to Elon to play for Coach [Kay] Yow, but when she left for NC State when I was a senior in high school I ended up following her there. In a way, I feel like I’m coming back somewhere that I was coming to a long time ago and I’m very excited about the opportunity.”
In 12 seasons at Rice, McKinney posted a 216-139 record and is the school's winningest women’s basketball coach. In 2004-05, her final season at Rice, McKinney led the Owls to the Western Athletic Conference title and a 24-9 record, earning WAC Coach of the Year accolades. In all, McKinney led the Owls to six 20-win seasons, two NCAA Tournament appearances, four WNIT appearances and two WAC titles. In 2001, Rice posted a win over sixth-ranked Louisiana Tech, which remains the highest-ranked opponent Rice has ever beaten. In 1999, McKinney led Rice to the second round of the NCAA tournament after upsetting fourth-seeded UCSB in the first round. McKinney also served on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Legislative Committee for two years, as well as the WBCA Kodak All-American Committee.
Prior to leading the Rice program, McKinney was an assistant coach at Western Kentucky University for nine seasons (1982-84, 1986-93). McKinney helped the Lady Toppers make seven NCAA Tournament appearances, including three berths in the Sweet 16 and a runner-up finish in the 1992 National Championship.
Before going to WKU, McKinney was the head coach at the University of Montevallo from 1984-86, where she was named District Coach of the Year following the 1985-86 season.
McKinney is a 1979 graduate of NC State, where she played four seasons under former Elon head coach and Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer, Kay Yow. McKinney scored 1,359 points and grabbed 600 rebounds, and still holds the freshman scoring record for the Wolfpack. She shot 78.3 percent from the free throw line during her playing career and was a member of NC State's first ACC regular-season championship team.
McKinney earned a bachelor’s degree in math education from NC State in 1979 before earning a master’s degree in physical education from Western Carolina University in 1982.
Formerly Cristy Earnhardt, she is married to Robert McKinney. The couple has been married 24 years.
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