CHICAGO — Chicago State head women's basketball coach
Tiffany Sardin has announced the hiring of assistant coach
Tiffany Conner.
Conner joins Sardin's staff for the latter's second season as the Cougars' head coach.
"I'm beyond thrilled to join Chicago State University and the Cougar family as assistant women's basketball coach," Conner said. "Having the opportunity to be a part of an athletic program that is truly committed to preparing student-athletes both on and off the court is exactly what attracted me to this role.
"As a former collegiate student-athlete who has made a successful transition into coaching, I know first hand the level of dedication, teamwork and focus that is required of student-athletes, the coaching staff and administration and I couldn't be more excited to join the Cougar family along this journey. We are all in this together."
Conner joins from Fort Valley State University in Fort Valley, Georgia, where she had served as an assistant coach since November 2019.
With Conner on staff, the FVSU Wildcats posted their most wins in six years, winning 13 games in 2019 and following it up with a 6-5 campaign in a shortened 2020-21 season.
Conner specialized in creating and managing drills for the Wildcats' post players. As a result, her group racked up the highest offensive rebound average (19.7) in NCAA Division II.
Prior to her tenure at FVSU, Conner served for two seasons as an assistant coach at Labette Community College in Parsons, Kansas, where Conner's Cardinals punched tickets to the Region VI playoffs in two consecutive seasons.
During the 2018-19 season, Labatte earned a No. 9 national ranking in NJCAA Division II, and the Cardinals went 44-17 in Conner's two seasons.
Previously, Conner coached at Rutgers University – Newark from 2015-17, where she and the Scarlet Raiders appeared in the NJAC championship for the first time in program history. At Rutgers-Newark, Conner's duties included recruiting, overseeing the team's social media and prepping scouting reports.
Conner starred as a forward at the University of South Florida, where the Bulls powered to the Second Round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Conner led South Florida in rebounding in 2012 and garnered the 2011 "Golden Bull" Award.
Conner earned a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Communications at USF. She also holds a master's of science with a concentration in sport management from Southern New Hampshire University.
About Chicago State
Chicago State University Athletics is comprised of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. Melvin Bland was the first CSU student-athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Fred Evans became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. CSU's women's basketball team earned a spot in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational and CSU's men's basketball team won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament title and made an appearance in the CollegeInside.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The Men's Outdoor Track & Field 4x100-Meter Relay team were 2019 Honorable Mention All-Americans and WAC Champions. Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet.
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