SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara women's basketball announced the hiring of assistant coach Alex Earl today. Earl spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Eastern Washington. Earl graduated from Arizona State with a bachelor's degree in communications in May of 2013.
"I am truly blessed to have been given the opportunity to coach at Santa Clara and be a part of the women's basketball family," said Earl. "JR is an amazing person and coach and I can't wait to learn and grow from her and to be part of such a young and vibrant program."
"We are really excited to welcome Alex to our Bronco family," said Santa Clara head coach JR Payne. "She comes from two fabulous programs in her playing days at Arizona State and her coaching career at Eastern Washington. Alex will bring a tremendous amount of energy and passion to our program, which is exactly what we were looking for in this position. As a young coach, Alex is already known for her tenacity on the recruiting trail which will mirror her abilities on the court."
"I'm incredibly excited for Alex to be a part of the Santa Clara women's basketball family," said Arizona State head coach Charli Turner Thorne. "She is a young, passionate, hardworking coach who really wants to roll up her sleeves and do whatever she can to contribute"
"Alex is a personable, hard-working young woman who has a bright future in coaching," said Eastern Washington head coach Wendy Schuller. "She does a great job on the court coaching and has a tremendous level of relatability with student-athletes."
A four-year letter winner for the Arizona State women's basketball program, Earl was previously the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at Lamar Community College in Lamar, Colorado.
In her one year at Lamar CC, Earl helped the women's basketball program to its best-ever record since its establishment in 2007.
While at Arizona State, Earl led the Sun Devils to four consecutive post-season appearances, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2009. A prolific three-point shooter, she ranks in the top 10 in ASU program history in all of the three-point shooting categories.
An Oregon native, Earl prepped at Pacific Northwest powerhouse Southridge High School in Beaverton, Ore., winning four straight state titles. She was named the Oregon 6A Player of the Year as a senior in 2008, and was the Beaverton Valley Times Female Athlete of the Year.
Earl graduated from Arizona State with a bachelor's degree in communications in May of 2013.