University of Tennessee Lady Vol Head Coach Pat Summitt announced Wednesday the addition of Angel Elderkin and Pam Owens as basketball graduate assistants for the 2005-06 campaign. The two join a program that went 30-5 last season and reached the NCAA Final Four for the fourth consecutive year.
"Pam Owens and Angel Elderkin are two of the most experienced graduate assistants we have ever had in our program," said Summitt. "Angel has Division I experience and Pam has been coaching on the high school level for the past 16 years. Both Pam and Angel are excited about the opportunity to work in the Lady Vol basketball program, and we are thrilled that they are joining our staff and the Lady Vol family."
Elderkin comes to Rocky Top after four years as an assistant coach at Siena College, where she was an integral part of recruiting some of the best classes in program history at Siena. In addition to her recruiting responsibilities at Siena, Elderkin also oversaw academics for the Saints. She helped to coordinate study hall, tutoring and monitoring the academic progress for the student-athletes. Her primary on-court assignment was working with the back court.
Prior to her stint at Siena, Elderkin spent two seasons at East Tennessee State, where she served as a special assistant to the head coach. There, she oversaw many aspects of the women's basketball operation, including the coordination of summer camps and working with the compliance office.
"I am really excited to be a part of the Lady Vol family," said Elderkin. "The opportunity to learn from Coach Summitt and her staff is going to be an invaluable experience and a great addition to my coaching career."
Elderkin was a four-year letter-winning guard for the University of Southern Maine women's basketball team. She led the Huskies to three conference championships and an astounding 104-15 overall record. In 1998, the Huskies were the national runner-up. She helped lead her team to the Division III NCAA Tournament during each of her four years. Elderkin also played on the softball team from 1996-1998.
She was a two-time recipient of the William B. Wise Scholar-Athlete Award and in 1997 was named to the All-Little East Honor Roll. Most recently, her 1997-98 Husky basketball team was inducted into the New England Hall of Fame (September 2004).
Elderkin earned her bachelor's degree in sociology from Southern Maine in 1999 with a minor in education. She received her master of arts in physical education and exercise science from East Tennessee State in 2001.
Pam Owens joins the program after spending eight years as the head coach at Taft High School in San Antonio, Texas. She guided the Taft program to six Region IV-5A Tournaments in seven seasons and three state tournaments in the past four campaigns. Prior to her stint at Taft, she spent two years coaching at Bandera High School. Owens' career record is 264-79.
"This is an unbelievable opportunity," said Owens. "I've been coaching high school for 16 years and to have the opportunity to work with Coach Summit and her staff is like a dream come true for me."
Owens has been a regular at Summitt's clinics through the years and worked one of her camps in Knoxville, Tenn., for the first time last summer. It was then that Summitt, 882-172 in 31 seasons at Tennessee, asked Owens if she would be interested in someday joining her staff as a graduate assistant.
A shooting guard from 1986-88 for the Buckettes, Owens graduated from the University of New Orleans with a bachelor's degree in education. In 1994, she earned her master's from the University of Texas at San Antonio in education and supervision.
Owens and her husband, Joseph, reside in Knoxville.
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