UK WBB Adds WNBA Coach as Assistant

LEXINGTON, KY – On the heels of a great season, the University of Kentucky women’s basketball program broadcasted some major news regarding its coaching staff. In the seasons to come, a new addition to the ranks will surely enable the Lady Wildcats to extend their recent success in college and beyond.

According to WYMT News, Coach Matthew Mitchell recently made news with the announcement that former WNBA assistant coach Jeff House will appear along the sidelines next season in Lexington.

“I am excited that Jeff House is joining our staff at Kentucky,” Mitchell said. “He and I share a vision for this program that is based on the principles of honesty, hard work and discipline. He, his wife Ann and children Elizabeth and Tom are a wonderful family and we are proud that they now become part of our UK Hoops family. His years of experience at the highest levels of professional and college basketball will benefit the growth of our program greatly. I am thrilled that Jeff is a Kentucky Wildcat.”

House spent the previous 10 years in the WNBA, most recently with the Chicago Sky.

During his 27-year career path, he has coached 19 WNBA All-Stars and major award winners along with four Olympians.

“In the basketball world, there are a handful of really special places and Kentucky is on the tip of everyone’s tongue when people talk about special places to coach or play,” House said. “It’s thrilling and humbling to be on a campus like this and at a university like this. I’m looking forward to working with this amazing staff, our student-athletes and being a part of the Big Blue Nation.”

House’s experience and recruiting ability should serve Kentucky well into the future.

From 2005-2009, House served as the recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at the University of Virginia. His recruiting classes were nationally ranked No. 10 in 2008, No. 3 in 2009 and No. 14 in 2010 by multiple national services, including Blue Star Report, All-Star Girl’s Report and Collegiate Girl’s Basketball Report.

“Being in the WNBA, I was able to see what Coach Mitchell has done for Kentucky,” House said. “I came to practice here a few years ago to evaluate Victoria Dunlap and other players, and to see him take this program from where it was to now have it knocking on the door of being a national champion is really, really special. For me and my family to now be a small part of it is even more special.”

House played college basketball at Nazareth College in New York. After suffering a career-ending injury, he began his coaching career at McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester while an undergraduate under the tutelage of then-head coach Jeff Van Gundy (future New York Knicks and Houston Rockets head coach) in 1985.

From 1988-1991, House spent four seasons at the University of Lowell as an assistant to former Miami Heat and Orlando Magic head coach and current ESPN analyst Stan Van Gundy. He then spent two years at Jacksonville University and four seasons as an assistant coach at Rutgers University from 1992-1996.

House, 47, is the president and on-court director of HOOP Headquarters, a basketball skills and development company he created in 1996. In 2009, he also founded AllBasketballReview.com, a coaching, player and parent resource for all aspects of basketball development.

Here is a complete list of Coach House’s coaching and professional experiences that he brings to UK:

2010-13 Chicago Sky, assistant coach

2009-13 Virginia Basketball Academy, Assistant Director

2009 Fast Model Technologies, consultant

2005-09 University of Virginia, assistant coach, women’s basketball

2005 NBA-TV, basketball analyst/2005 WNBA playoffs

2005 Washington Mystics, assistant coach

2005 NBA-TV, basketball analyst/Game of the Week in the NBDL

2004 NBA-TV, basketball analyst/WNBA 2004 playoffs

1999-04 New York Liberty, assistant coach

1998 New York Liberty, video coordinator & advance scout

1997-98 New York Knicks, video operations assistant