Two more Capital Athletic Conference women's coaching positions changed hands this week, as Hood hired former Columbia coach Jay Butler and Salisbury tabbed Princeton assistant Charisse Mapp.
Butler, whose experience includes head coaching stints at Columbia and St. Mary's (Md.), takes over for Tracey Kelley-Franklin, who resigned her position in July to take a position at Gov. Thomas Johnson High School in Frederick.
Butler was 66-144 at Columbia, though the Lions established single-season records for victories during the 2001-02 and 2003-04 seasons with 12 each. Prior to Columbia, Butler was 14-34 at St. Mary's.
Butler also spent six years in the early 1990s as an assistant women's basketball coach at Brown.
Butler has landed 11 recruits on various conference all-rookie squads and has developed numerous all-conference performers.
Since 2005, Butler has served as the coaches ministry director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Ruston, La., during which time he has ministered to coaches and led bible study groups for various colleges, high schools and junior high schools in five parishes across the region.
Butler is a 1983 graduate of Castleton State. He was a three-sport athlete in basketball, cross country and tennis and was inducted into the Castleton Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997. Butler also earned a master's degree credit in exercise physiology from Maryland in 1996.
“We are thrilled that Jay Butler has joined the Hood College athletics family,” said director of athletics Gib Romaine. “We had an excellent pool of candidates and Jay stood out as an exemplary leader and mentor. As the women's basketball program begins its inaugural season in the Capital Athletic Conference, I am confident that Jay has the leadership ability and the drive to take this program to the next level.”
“I truly believe that something good is happening at Hood,” said Butler, who becomes the fourth head coach in the history of the Blazer women's basketball program. “I have always been associated with and attracted to small liberal arts colleges. Hood has a great reputation and a great future, and that stems from the outstanding leadership I witnessed on this campus, from president Ron Volpe to dean of students Olivia White to Gib. I am excited to be a part of that and will do everything I can to put these players in the best possible environment to succeed.”
Butler inherits a Hood squad which posted a 5-18 record in 2006-07 and finished fifth in the Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference with a mark of 4-6. The Blazers will play all but one of their home games at Gov. Thomas Johnson High School this winter.
Mapp will become Salisbury's ninth women's basketball head coach in the 52-year history of the program, athletic director Michael Vienna announced.
Mapp, 42, comes to Salisbury after serving as an assistant coach at Princeton last season. This is the first collegiate head coaching position for the Brooklyn, N.Y., native, who has been an assistant coach at the Division I level for more than 13 years.
"We are very pleased to bring someone of Charisse's talent and experience on board. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge having worked with several legendary coaches," said Vienna. "We believe she will be a great fit for our institution and our student-athletes."
Mapp replaces the all-time winningest coach in SU history in Bridget Benshetler, who compiled a 272-177 record (.606 winning percentage). Benshetler led the Sea Gulls to five NCAA tournament appearances and three Capital Athletic Conference championships. The maroon and gold posted a 15-11 mark last season and concluded the season in the CAC tournament semifinals.
"Bridget was tremendously successful during her 17 seasons at SU," said Mapp. "I am very excited to pick up where she left off. I look forward to many great experiences with the Sea Gulls."
Mapp will officially begin her new duties at Salisbury on Tuesday, Aug. 21.
A 1989 graduate of North Carolina, Mapp played two seasons for the Tar Heels' women's basketball team and later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in physical education. She served as an assistant coach at Temple for four years in the early 1990s where she was active in all phases of scouting and recruiting for the Owls and also earned her masters. Mapp then ventured to East Carolina where she was the Pirates' assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. After three seasons in Greenville, N.C., she headed 80 miles west to the state capital of Raleigh where she spent five years at N.C. State under the guidance of hall of fame coach Kay Yow.
"My time at N.C. State and working with Coach Yow had an enormous impact on me as a coach and a person," said Mapp. "She is someone of great integrity and is very down-to-earth. She cares so much about her student-athletes, believes they are capable of doing anything they set their minds to and will not put limitations on them. That is an important principle I've learned from her."
Salisbury graduated four players from last year's team and returns only one senior this season in All-CAC guard Meghan Phillips. Phillips was the second leading scorer (13.6 points per game) for the Sea Gulls in 2006-07.
"I have high expectations this season," said Mapp. "I expect our student-athletes to compete and bring everything they have to the court and classroom everyday. We have an extremely young team. It is my responsibility to teach them the skills to succeed and show them how they can be their best."