Today, the Washington Mystics completed their coaching staff with the hiring of Eric Thibault as an assistant coach. Marianne Stanley is the other assistant on the team. Coach Thibault comes from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) where he was an assistant coach on their women's basketball team. The Rams were 11-19 this season, and 4-10 in their inaugural season in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
In another release from VCU, Coach Thibault issued a statement on his departure:
I would like to thank Coach [Marlene] Stollings, our players and staff, and the entire VCU community for an incredible experience this past season," added Thibault. "I feel very lucky that I was able to learn from Coach Stollings and work each day with our exceptional student-athletes. I am excited to watch VCU Women's Basketball continue to build and develop into one of the elite programs in both the A-10 and on the national stage.
Before coming to VCU for the 2012-2013 season, Coach Thibault was a graduate assistant at St. John's University from 2010-2012 under then-head coach Kim Barnes Arico's tutelage where he also earned his master's in Sports Management. While he was there, the Red Storm made two straight NCAA tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2012. He graduated from the University of Missouri in 2009 where he was an assistant manager of the women's basketball team there. Lastly, he spent five years with the Connecticut Sun from 2008-2012 where he was involved with individual workouts and scouting.
And yes in case you were wondering, Coach Eric Thibault is the son of Head Coach/GM Mike Thibault.