August 9, 2007

Charisse Mapp Named as New Women's Basketball Head Coach at Salisbury 

SALISBURY, Md. - Dr. Michael Vienna, Athletics Director at Salisbury University, announced today that Charisse Mapp will become the ninth women's basketball head coach in the 52-year history of the program.

Mapp, 42, comes to Salisbury after serving as an assistant coach at Princeton University last season. This is the first collegiate head coaching position for the Brooklyn, N.Y., native, who has been an assistant coach at the Division I level for over 13 years.

"We are very pleased to bring someone of Charisse's talent and experience on board. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge having worked with several legendary coaches," said Vienna. "We believe she will be a great fit for our institution and our student-athletes."

Mapp replaces the all-time winningest coach in SU history in Bridget Benshetler, who compiled a 272-177 record (.606 winning percentage). Benshetler led the Sea Gulls to five NCAA tournament appearances and three Capital Athletic Conference championships. The maroon and gold posted a 15-11 mark last season and concluded the season in the CAC tournament semifinals.

"Bridget was tremendously successful during her 17 seasons at SU," said Mapp. "I am very excited to pick-up where she left off.  I look forward to many great experiences with the Sea Gulls."

Mapp will officially begin her new duties at Salisbury on Tuesday, August 21.

A 1989 graduate from the University of North Carolina, Mapp played two seasons for the Tar Heels' women's basketball team and later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in physical education. Mapp's greatest moment as a collegiate student-athlete came on March 3, 1984, when UNC defeated North Carolina State 99-76 to claim the first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball championship in the program's history.

Mapp served as an assistant coach at Temple University for four years in the early 1990s where she was active in all phases of scouting and recruiting for the Owls. She earned her Master of Education while at Temple. Mapp then ventured south to East Carolina University where she was the Pirates' assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. After three seasons in Greenville, N.C., she headed 80 miles west to the state capital of Raleigh where she spent five years at NC State under the guidance of Hall of Fame Coach Kay Yow.

"My time at NC State and working with Coach Yow had an enormous impact on me as a coach and a person," said Mapp. "She is someone of great integrity and is very down-to-earth. She cares so much about her student-athletes, believes they are capable of doing anything they set
their minds to and will not put limitations on them. That is an important principle I've learned from her."

Mapp spent three years running basketball clinics for girls in Cary and Eastern, N.C., before getting back into coaching in 2006 at Princeton. Mapp also has a background in coaching several high school programs over the years. She was the head coach for an Athletes in Action team in 1999 that consisted of Division I women's basketball players. The team went to South America where they spent six weeks in Bolivia and toured the area playing basketball and finished with a 10-1 record.

Salisbury graduated four players from last year's team and returns only one senior this season in All-CAC guard Meghan Phillips. Phillips was the second leading scorer (13.6 points per game) for the Sea Gulls in 2006-07.

"I have high expectations this season," said Mapp. "I expect our student-athletes to compete and bring everything they have to the court and classroom everyday. We have an extremely young team. It is my responsibility to teach them the skills to succeed and show them how
they can be their best."

Mapp is an active member in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, the Black Coaches Association and Athletes in Action. She is the oldest of five siblings and has strong ties to the
Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions.

Salisbury's women's basketball season begins on November 16 at the Marymount Tournament in Arlington, Va.