Photo by: GoDucks.com
Curry Breaking Barriers As Coach
04/18/18 | Women's Basketball
An honorable mention all-conference guard at Oregon in 2001-02, Edniesha Curry recently became the only female full-time assistant coach currently on an NCAA Division-I men's staff, at Maine.
Edniesha Curry played just one season for the Oregon women's basketball team, but she made a sizable impact. As a senior transfer in 2001-2002, Curry earned honorable mention all-conference honors while helping the Ducks win the WNIT title, in their first season under head coach Bev Smith.
More than fifteen years later, Smith — one of the program's all-time great players before coaching the UO women from 2001-2009 — still recalls the impression Curry left in that one season.
"She was always very bold, and felt she could play with anyone," Smith said. "And she always backed that up with preparation. It wasn't false, and it wasn't braggadocious. She always put in the preparation that allowed her to do that."
Those twin qualities of headstrong self-assuredness and studious preparation continue to serve Curry well all these years later. Earlier this spring, she was named an assistant coach at the University of Maine — with the Black Bears' men's program, becoming the only woman currently serving as a full-time assistant coach on an NCAA Division-I staff.
A native of Southern California, Curry redshirted the 2000-01 season at Oregon before playing out her senior year under Smith. She went on to play professionally in the WNBA and overseas for a decade, in the offseason returning to Oregon and working for Portland AAU coach Michael Abraham.
When news of Curry's hiring to the Maine men's staff was reported in late March, she received an outpouring of support from her adopted home state.
"I really appreciate all the emails and texts of support I've gotten from former Duck athletes and coach, things like that," Curry said in a phone interview last week. "I really appreciate the love from my Duck family."
Curry said coaching wasn't on her mind as a potential career path during her playing days at Oregon. But Smith hasn't been surprised to see Curry flourish in that role, whether it's been helping Abraham at the youth level, working overseas in places like China and Vietnam, or as a women's assistant at Maine before joining the men's staff this spring.
"She loved the game, and she loved all aspects of it," Smith said. "She loved the preparation part of it as much as she loved playing. So I always felt that was a good indication she would stay in the game."
When Curry began working with Abraham, he saw the same signs. She still had her doubts.
"I loved teaching and coaching and organizing and coming up with plans," Curry said. "He would say, 'You know, you're a coach.' I'd be like, 'Dude, I'm not coaching. This is the last thing I want to do — I don't want to put up with a bunch of Ednieshas.' …
"Some people see it for you before you see it for yourself. That's how this has manifested itself in my life."
Former UO assistant Dan Muscatell also has been a key influence, Curry said. With prodding from him and others, what began as a way for Curry to stay involved with the game, and share her love of it with kids, turned into a full-time profession.
From her earliest coaching experiences, Curry crossed gender lines. Her work with Abraham was primarily with girls, but some boys as well. In recent years she participated in the NBA Assistant Coaches' Program, which provided work experience at the NBA's Draft Combine and G League Showcase.
"I never paid attention to if I was coaching boys or girls, women or men," Curry said. "I just always felt like, if they feel you know your craft and they can trust you, that's all that matters. That was my focus: becoming the best coach, the best leader."
Curry may not see it as such, but her hiring with a men's staff is a statement for gender equity, said Smith, now executive director of the Kidsports youth program in Lane County.
"I was maybe a little disappointed she's still not with the women, because we do like having female coaches who coach women," Smith said. "But at the same time, I think it's a big step — that a coach is a coach. We have a lot of women in Kidsports who coach boys at a lower level. It's a great thing. To keep that momentum moving along, with the Becky Hammons and Nancy Liebermans (two full-time NBA assistant coaches), I think this speaks to the advancement because of the level she's at."
More than fifteen years later, Smith — one of the program's all-time great players before coaching the UO women from 2001-2009 — still recalls the impression Curry left in that one season.
"She was always very bold, and felt she could play with anyone," Smith said. "And she always backed that up with preparation. It wasn't false, and it wasn't braggadocious. She always put in the preparation that allowed her to do that."
Those twin qualities of headstrong self-assuredness and studious preparation continue to serve Curry well all these years later. Earlier this spring, she was named an assistant coach at the University of Maine — with the Black Bears' men's program, becoming the only woman currently serving as a full-time assistant coach on an NCAA Division-I staff.
A native of Southern California, Curry redshirted the 2000-01 season at Oregon before playing out her senior year under Smith. She went on to play professionally in the WNBA and overseas for a decade, in the offseason returning to Oregon and working for Portland AAU coach Michael Abraham.
When news of Curry's hiring to the Maine men's staff was reported in late March, she received an outpouring of support from her adopted home state.
"I really appreciate all the emails and texts of support I've gotten from former Duck athletes and coach, things like that," Curry said in a phone interview last week. "I really appreciate the love from my Duck family."
Curry said coaching wasn't on her mind as a potential career path during her playing days at Oregon. But Smith hasn't been surprised to see Curry flourish in that role, whether it's been helping Abraham at the youth level, working overseas in places like China and Vietnam, or as a women's assistant at Maine before joining the men's staff this spring.
"She loved the game, and she loved all aspects of it," Smith said. "She loved the preparation part of it as much as she loved playing. So I always felt that was a good indication she would stay in the game."
When Curry began working with Abraham, he saw the same signs. She still had her doubts.
"I loved teaching and coaching and organizing and coming up with plans," Curry said. "He would say, 'You know, you're a coach.' I'd be like, 'Dude, I'm not coaching. This is the last thing I want to do — I don't want to put up with a bunch of Ednieshas.' …
"Some people see it for you before you see it for yourself. That's how this has manifested itself in my life."
Former UO assistant Dan Muscatell also has been a key influence, Curry said. With prodding from him and others, what began as a way for Curry to stay involved with the game, and share her love of it with kids, turned into a full-time profession.
From her earliest coaching experiences, Curry crossed gender lines. Her work with Abraham was primarily with girls, but some boys as well. In recent years she participated in the NBA Assistant Coaches' Program, which provided work experience at the NBA's Draft Combine and G League Showcase.
"I never paid attention to if I was coaching boys or girls, women or men," Curry said. "I just always felt like, if they feel you know your craft and they can trust you, that's all that matters. That was my focus: becoming the best coach, the best leader."
Curry may not see it as such, but her hiring with a men's staff is a statement for gender equity, said Smith, now executive director of the Kidsports youth program in Lane County.
"I was maybe a little disappointed she's still not with the women, because we do like having female coaches who coach women," Smith said. "But at the same time, I think it's a big step — that a coach is a coach. We have a lot of women in Kidsports who coach boys at a lower level. It's a great thing. To keep that momentum moving along, with the Becky Hammons and Nancy Liebermans (two full-time NBA assistant coaches), I think this speaks to the advancement because of the level she's at."
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