Lavender Named Director of SMU Women’s Basketball Operations

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DALLAS (SMU) – SMU women’s basketball head coach Rhonda Rompola announced the hiring of Shawna Lavender as the Director of Basketball Operations. Lavender, formerly Shawna Ford, played for Rompola at SMU from 1993-97, and spent the last nine seasons as head coach at Abilene Christian University.

“Having Shawna back on the Hilltop is great for our program. She has performed well at every level, from playing at SMU to working as a head coach,” Rompola said. “Her knowledge and experience will make our program better, and I could not be more excited about her decision to return to her alma mater.”

Lavender posted a 149-111 record overall at ACU, and led the Wildcats to seven Lone Star Conference tournament appearances and two NCAA Tournament berths. During her tenure at ACU, Lavender coached 17 All-Lone Star Conference selections, eight All-Region honorees and three All-Americans. She led the Wildcats to a 20-10 record during the 2004-05 season, the program’s first 20-win season since 1999.

After graduating from SMU, Lavender attended graduate school at Abilene Christian, working as a graduate assistant for the women’s basketball team. She then spent the next four seasons as an assistant before taking over as head coach prior to the 2003-04 season.

As a point guard at SMU from 1993-97, Lavender led the Mustangs to a 76-41 overall record, and scored a career-high 42 points, second most in school history, in a historic four-overtime victory over TCU during the 1996-97 season. As a senior, she led the Mustangs with 130 assists and 46 3-point field goals made. She scored 313 points, averaging 10.4 per game during her final season. She was also a team captain for two seasons.

Lavender’s duties as Director of Basketball Operations will include overseeing team travel, equipment, assisting with the budget and other day-to-day operations of the program.