Advertisement

Purdue women's basketball adds Mark Stephens to staff

staff report
·2 min read
A view of a sold-out Mackey Arena for the NCAA women's basketball game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Indiana Hoosiers, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. Indiana Hoosiers won 69-46.
A view of a sold-out Mackey Arena for the NCAA women's basketball game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Indiana Hoosiers, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. Indiana Hoosiers won 69-46.

WEST LAFAYETTE − Purdue's women's basketball team welcomed an addition to the coaching staff on Monday.

Mark Stephens spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach at Toledo, helping the Rockets reach the NCAA tournament this past season for the first time since 2017.

Stephens joins the Boilermakers as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, assistant with player development, academic support and opponent scouting.

"Having the honor to coach Purdue is a dream come true," Stephens said in a release. "Having spent over a decade in Indiana, I know the rich tradition we have as Boilermakers. Seeing what Katie (Gearlds) has done so early in her tenure and after speaking with her, you can clearly see the vision she has for the program."

Toledo won the Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular season and conference championships in 2023, then upset No. 5 seed Iowa State in the opening round of the NCAA tournament before falling to Tennessee.

Prior to working under former Purdue women's basketball captain and Toledo head coach Tricia Cullop, Stephens was on the staff at Xavier for three seasons.

Before making the jump to women's college basketball, Stephens was the girls head coach at Crispus Attucks High in Indianapolis for four seasons, where he went 38-9 over his final two seasons before exiting in 2016. He also had high school assistant stints at Decatur Central and Southport high schools.

Stephens played football and basketball at Morehead State University.

"I've known Mark for years and have always appreciated his drive," Gearlds said in a release. "Going back to his days at Crispus Attucks High School and his AAU teams, Mark has always led his players and his programs the right way. Seeing how he operated on the recruiting trail at Xavier and then Toledo made me really appreciate his grind and creativity. We really took a step forward in recruiting today."

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue women's basketball adds Mark Stephens to staff