Rodez, France----Wingate University head women’s basketball coach
Barbara Nelson has helped the USA compile a 3-0 pool play record at the inaugural 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship for Women. The USA has defeated host France (70-45), Russia (82-38) and Canada (114-57).
The Americans will finish pool play with contests against Turkey (Tuesday, 11:30 a.m. EDT) and Japan (Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. EDT). In 2009, Nelson led the USA to a perfect 5-0 record and gold medal in the 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Championship.
For a second consecutive year, Nelson is assisted by
Mike Armstrong of Perry Meridian (Ind.) High School and
Dorena Bingham of Team Alaska AAU. Last summer, the coaching trio led the USA past five opponents by an average of 70.0 points per game in Mexico City, Mexico, capturing in impressive style the 2009 FIBA Americas U16 title and securing the USA’s berth into the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship.
Twelve national teams qualified for the FIBA U17 World Championship through their FIBA zone tournaments, including the USA, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Japan, Mali, Russia, Spain and Turkey. The draw for the U17 Championship took place on Feb. 12 in Toulouse, with the 12 teams being divided into two groups of six for preliminary round play.
Nelson enters her fourth season at the Bulldog helm this fall. Her first year with the Bulldogs resulted in a 26-8 record, a Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament title, a 2008 NCAA Division II tournament Elite Eight finish and a number 10 national ranking in the final USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II top 25 Coaches Poll. Nelson is 58-32 overall in three Wingate seasons.
Prior to joining Wingate, Nelson spent 21 seasons (1986-87 through 2006-07) as the head coach at Providence Day School in Charlotte, N.C. While with the Chargers, she compiled a 437-176 overall record (.713 winning percentage) and collected seven North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) state championships and nine NCISAA conference titles.
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a private four-year co-educational institution of 2,159 students offering active learning opportunities through personalized instruction, world travel, career discovery and community service.
Wingate offers 34 undergraduate majors in arts and sciences, business, communication, education, fine arts, music and sport sciences. It also offers graduate degrees in business, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration. In addition, the school awards the doctor of pharmacy and the doctor of education degrees.
Bulldog student-athletes compete in 19 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past four years.
Wingate University is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with 36 honorees during this millennium. Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during this time period. Wingate’s 45 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.
Visit the USA Basketball web site for more information:
http://www.usabasketball.com/womens/u17/schedule.html