SHERRI COALE'S SON PROMOTED TO ASSISTANT COACHSeptember 13, 2018"Oklahoma head coach Sherri Coale announced two new staff roles for the upcoming season on Thursday. Assistant coach Jan Ross has been elevated to the newly created role of chief of staff while player development specialist Colton Coale will transition to assistant coach.
"In light of the rapidly changing climate in collegiate athletics, it is becoming more critical than ever to adapt to the needs of our student-athletes while providing extraordinary mentorship and leadership," OU head coach Sherri Coale said. "Jan's wealth of experience, as well as her skill set, positions her to immediately and effectively connect the dots for our student-athletes while constantly steering programs and processes that govern the full circle of their development."
In her role as chief of staff, Ross will oversee academic progress for students-athletes, break down film of OU's practices and opponents, assist OU's coaching staff with various initiatives and work in an outreach role with the community and local high school coaches. Since arriving in Norman prior to the 1996-97 season, Ross has monitored the academic progress of OU's players, helping the Sooners to a team GPA of 3.0 or better in 37 of the last 44 semesters. On the court, she has been a part of 481 wins, three Final Fours, 10 Big 12 titles and 19 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
"Oklahoma women's basketball has been a part of my heart and soul for 22 years and it always will be,"
Ross stated. "While I have decided that this is the right time for me to come off the recruiting trail, I am as passionate as ever about doing everything within my power to help our student athletes grow on and off the court. I am energized and excited about the new role I can play in helping our program pursue championships."
Colton Coale, who served as a graduate assistant with the Sooners from 2015-17, was OU's player development specialist during the 2017-18 season. As an assistant, Coale will work exclusively with the team's guards and coordinate offensive gameplans. He graduated with his bachelor's degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2015, while earning his Master's degree in 2017.
"I am honored and excited about the opportunity to recruit and train players as a full-time assistant coach. I have been incredibly blessed to grow up learning from this amazing staff of coaches." Colton Coale said.
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