DeLand, Fla. ? Stetson Head Women's Basketball Coach Lynn Bria has announced the hiring of two assistant coaches that will join her on the bench for the 2008-09 season. Samba Johnson and Bett Shelby both bring Division I experience to the new era of Hatter Women's Basketball.
Johnson, who has previously coached under Bria for three seasons at Ohio University, comes to Stetson from Friends University in Wichita, Kansas where he helped lead the Falcon men's squad to a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference championship and a berth in the NAIA tournament as an assistant coach in 2007-08. Prior to joining Friends, Johnson served on the staff at Casper (Wyo.) College as it reached the NJCAA Region 9 title game in 2006-07.
He served as Bria's recruiting coordinator for three seasons with the Bobcats from July 2003-March 2006, working to land such players as 2006 Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year Rachel Frederick. Johnson has one year of head coaching experience in the women's game, having headed up Division III member La Roche College (Pittsburgh, Pa.) in 2002-03.
Before moving into women's hoops, Johnson began his coaching career with six years in the men's game including assistant stints at Bria's alma mater, Charleston (W. Va.), Duquesne and McCook (Neb.) Community College. Charleston advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2002 on Johnson's watch.
Johnson was also the head coach at Penn State-New Kensington for three seasons from 1997-2000, winning back-to-back Penn State Commonwealth Campus West Division Coach of the Year awards as well as being named 1998-99 Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year.
A 1996 graduate of Chaminade University (Honolulu, Hawai'i), Johnson was a Second Team All-Pac West Conference selection as a senior. Prior to attending Chaminade, Johnson played two seasons in Division I at Robert Morris University (Moon Township, Pa.).
Off the court, Johnson is deeply involved in the ministry. While coaching at Friends and earning his master's degree in Biblical Studies, he served as the chaplain for the women's basketball team. At his various coaching stops, Johnson has worked with spiritual organizations such as the Fellowship of Christan Athletes and the Campus Crusade for Christ.
Betty Louise (AKA “Bett”) Shelby comes to Stetson from East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. where she is working towards a master's degree in Exercise and Sports Science with a concentration in Sports Management. She spent two seasons as the Director of Women's Basketball Operations at ECU, coordinating travel, budget, summer camps and marketing as well as organizing game film and other coaching duties. While Shelby was on staff, the Pirates won the 2007 Conference USA tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Her savvy in marketing helped ECU record the second-highest average home attendance in the 12-school Conference USA as the Pirates were the league's winner of the NCAA-wide “Pack the House” women's basketball attendance contest in 2007-08.
Shelby graduated from Greensboro (N.C.) College in 2006 after a highly successful two-year playing career for the Pride that saw her lead the team to a pair of USA South conference titles and the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2005 and 2006. Greensboro compiled a 43-15 overall record during her tenure. An All-Academic honoree and 2005-06 team captain, Shelby was also an All-USA South Conference cross country runner. She played her first two seasons at Division I member UNC Wilmington, where she helped the Seahawks go 22-6 and rank in the top 10 in national scoring defense as a freshman in 2002-03.
She has extensive camp coaching and managing experience over the last decade at such events as the Reebok Hoops and Dreams Showcase Camp, Nike Camp at Providence Day School, UNC Asheville and UNC Wilmington Summer Camps and Pat Summitt's Overnight Basketball Camp as well as serving on the staff of the 14-U Piedmont Express AAU team. Before going to UNCW, Shelby spent the 2001-02 season as the team manager for the legendary Coach Summitt's Tennessee Lady Vols.
Coach Bria will round out her inaugural staff with the hiring of a third assistant coach later this summer.
