July 11, 2017
Strauthers added to Tech women's basketball staff
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – When Courtney Strauthers left Florida Southern to take an assistant women’s basketball coaching position at Tennessee Tech, it was a tough decision to make, but a great opportunity. After all, she helped transform the Moccasins from a 7-20 team to NCAA Division II South Region Champs and an Elite 8 berth in 2015-16, then kept the team on a strong path in 2016 with head coach Betsy Harris. Now, after helping oversee one of the biggest turnarounds in the Division II game, Strauthers heads to Cookeville, looking to help Tech head coach Kim Rosamond continue building the momentum the Golden Eagles established in 2016-17 and bring Tech women’s basketball back to dominance in the Ohio Valley Conference.
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – When Courtney Strauthers left Florida Southern to take an assistant women's basketball coaching position at Tennessee Tech, it was a tough decision to make, but a great opportunity.
After all, she helped transform the Moccasins from a 7-20 team to NCAA Division II South Region Champs and an Elite 8 berth in 2015-16, then kept the team on a strong path in 2016 with head coach Betsy Harris.
Now, after helping oversee one of the biggest turnarounds in the Division II game, Strauthers heads to Cookeville, looking to help Tech head coach Kim Rosamond continue building the momentum the Golden Eagles established in 2016-17 and bring Tech women's basketball back to dominance in the Ohio Valley Conference.
"I'm excited to be here," Strauthers said. "I can't wait to get started, to meet the girls and work with them individually and as a group. I'm really looking forward to working with Coach Rose and the other coaches and getting to know them as well. I really just can't wait to get started."
Rosamond was ecstatic with the hire, praising Strauthers' virtues and how they could fit into the Golden Eagle staff.
"Courtney is an outstanding addition to our Tennessee Tech family," said Rosamond, "and she was the perfect fit in terms of character, chemistry and culture. She embodies our core values, and who she is as a person made this a home-run hire."
With the Golden Eagles, Strauthers will oversee the development of Tech's post players, be heavily involved in recruiting and will assist in monitoring player academics.
Her goals are simple.
"I want to make sure we have a dominant post presence," Strauthers said. "I want our post players to be in there grabbing rebounds, playing dominantly, finishing around the basket and helping out the defense as well. I want to help Coach Rosamond get Tennessee Tech back to that winning tradition that we're used to."
Rosamond continued, "Coach C brings an impressive resume as an accomplished student-athlete at Alabama as well as an experienced assistant coach at the collegiate level. She values skill development, and I am excited about how she will help our post players grow their game. Courtney invests in her players on and off the court. Academics, mentoring and relationships are very important to her, and she will be a great role model for the young women in our program."
Strauthers added, "One of the biggest goals is to help the players understand Coach Rosamond's core values and her system. I believe in her system. It's just her second year, and I know it's a rebuilding process, but to be here and help her get that established and to help the team know what she wants is important. I'm looking forward to taking part on this ride."
The Golden Eagles showed improvement in 2016-17, returning back to the Ohio Valley Conference tournament, and Strauthers is excited to be a part of the continued revitalization of the program.
"The tradition behind it is impressive," she said. "Tennessee Tech is in the top-15 of the winningest programs in the sport. To be a part of that and getting it back on track and getting people excited about the program again is a great opportunity."
Following a four-year playing career at the University of Alabama from 2006 to 2010, Strauthers built a strong resume.
She spent one year as an assistant coach at Parkview High School in Lilburn, Ga., overseeing the team to a 35-0 record and an Elite 8 finish in the Georgia state tournament. She was also the head coach of the 16U FBC AAU program.
Strauthers then spent two seasons at Pensacola State College, where she worked as the assistant, as well as the strength and conditioning program coordinator.
Then, in 2014, she joined fellow Alabama alum Harris at Florida Southern. The previous season, the Mocs went 7-20. But in the three years since, the team went 60-30. The high-water mark was 2015-16 as the team went 27-6, earning a NCAA South Region title and an Elite 8 berth in the Division II tournament. The team also had four players on the all-Sunshine State Conference teams.
Strauthers' focus has primarily been in post play and development, but she also held many other roles at Florida Southern, including camp director, game day and scout preparation, strength and conditioning coordination and academic advising. She helped oversee the team grade point average rise from 3.1 in 2014 to 3.3 in 2017.
While at FSC, she assisted in recruiting a SSC Freshman of the Year, six all-conference players, an honorable mention All-American, as well as multiple players of the week.
As a student-athlete at Alabama, she played two seasons for Stephany Smith (2006-07 and 2007-08) and Wendell Hudson (2008-09 and 2009-10). In the 08-09 season, she started all 30 games. In her career, she averaged eight points, six rebounds and two blocks per game. She led the Crimson Tide in field goal percentage and blocks, and ranks eighth in program history in single-season field goal percentage with a .568 mark.
She was named to the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll three times, received the Black Scholars Award and was also on the Dean's List.
Taking the SEC experience and adding it to Rosamond's gives the Golden Eagles a little more of an edge in what direction they want to lead the team.
"We are familiar with the intensity and the high demands of that level," Strauthers said. "We can help the girls understand that as well and help bring them to that level of intensity and competition and help to get them to reach their full potential."
In high school at Shiloh High School in Georgia, she helped lead the team to three-straight state tournament appearances and was the school's all-time leader in blocks, while averaging 12 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. Strauthers was a McDonald's All-American and was a nominee for the Wendy's High School Heisman as a senior.
She also comes from an athletic background as her father, Thomas, played eight seasons in the National Football League with the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings. Her mother, Jennifer, played basketball at Arkansas State.
Strauthers received her bachelor's degree in kinesiology/exercise sports science from Alabama in 2010, and completed her masters' degree in sports management in 2011.
Photo from Florida Southern College
