University of Houston Athletics
Hughey Adds Jamila Ganter as Assistant Coach
6/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HOUSTON -- Houston Cougar Women's Basketball Head Coach Ronald Hughey has announced the hiring of assistant coach Jamila Ganter to complete the Cougars' 2016-17 coaching staff.
Ganter joins the Cougars after three season at Stephen F. Austin, in the Southland Conference, where she served as an assistant coach and undertook the primary role for recruiting with special attention to the Houston area. While with the Ladyjacks, Ganter helped lead the team to back-to-back Southland Conference Championships in 2014 and 2015 as well as postseason appearances in the WNIT and WBI.
"I can't express how excited I am to join the Cougar family," Ganter said. "What Coach Hughey is building at the University of Houston is extraordinary, and I am honored to be a part of these special times. I believe in the vision and goals set forth by Houston and Coach Hughey and look forward to building on the rich tradition that's already in place. Go Coogs!"
While working with the guards at SFA, Ganter has developed Taylor Ross, Brentney Branch and Taylor Schippers into some of the top guards in the Southland Conference. Last season, Ross averaged 16.5 points per contest en route to earning First Team All-SLC honors, while Branch ranked seventh in SFA history on the 3-pointers made list following her senior season. Schippers joined the Ladyjacks as a transfer from Butler last season, and went on to win Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year, while averaging 11.2 points per game and ranking third in the SLC in steals with 51.
Ganter also served as the academic liaison for SFA women's basketball where she helped to increase the overall team GPA, as well as the number of student-athletes on the AD Honor Roll, Dean's List and President's List.
"We are extremely excited to welcome Jamila Ganter to our coaching staff," Hughey said. "Jamila is a worker and is always about her business. She has a reputation for being an outstanding guard coach and relentless recruiter, who has strong recruiting ties in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. She will be a tremendous asset in many phases of our program, and we are very excited to have her."
Prior to her time in Nacogdoches, Ganter served as an Assistant to the Head Coach at Liberty-Eylau Independent School District, in Texarkana, Texas, from 2009-13. While there, Ganter helped lead her team to four consecutive district titles and the 2010 3A State Championship.
Ganter began her career as a student-assistant coach and intern for Texas A&M during the 2007-08 season. In her tenure in College Station, Ganter was part of an Aggie squad that claimed Big 12 Conference regular season and tournament championships, and made Sweet 16 and Elite 8 appearances.
Ganter played at Texas A&M from 2003-2006 where she appeared in 79 games, while scoring 141 career points. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M in 2007.
REGENTS APPROVE RENOVATIONS TO BASKETBALL ARENA
The University of Men's and Women's Basketball programs moved closer to a new competition home facility when school regents approved the start of the design process for the renovation of the Houston Basketball arena during its meeting Nov. 19.
Regents approved a project budget of up to $60 million with an anonymous donor pledging a $20 million gift to facilitate the arena's renovation.
Design work is scheduled to begin in March 2016 with construction starting one year later. Plans for the Cougars' home facility during the 2017-18 season have not been finalized and will be announced at a later date. The renovated facility is expected to be ready for game competition for the beginning of the 2018-19 season.
"This project has been long overdue, and we are grateful that Dr. Khator and our Board of Regents saw the need for this step with our basketball arena," Vice President for Athletics Hunter Yurachek said. "We look forward to starting the design process in the next few months and creating a facility that will provide the highest level of amenities to our fans and a significant home-court advantage for our Men's and Women's Basketball student-athletes."
Preliminary estimated capacity for the renovated arena will be reduced to 7,420 from its current seating bowl of 8,479. However, initial plans call for the court level to be raised three feet with fan seating moved closer to the court as part of an emphasis to improve the overall fan experience.
More than 2,000 premium seats will be developed to give fans the ultimate luxury seating options. That total includes a preliminary design of 1,750 club seats, 20 loge boxes with four seats in each, two open-air suites with 32 seats per unit and 90 courtside seats.
The arena's concourse level will be expanded to improve circulation with significant upgrades to the sound system, video board and arena seating.
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