Finalist - 2009 Coaches of the Year powered by Critical Reload

Stephanie Norman helped guide the Louisville Cardinals to the national championship game this season!  Norman is a terrific recruiter and has demonstrated the ability to land some of the best talent in the country on a consistent basis.

In her first season at Louisville the Cardinals made their first NCAA Sweet 16 Tournament appearance and finished the season ranked No. 12 in the nation. Norman was instrumental in bringing in the No. 12 recruiting class in the nation this spring.

Norman came to Louisville after spending five seasons as the recruiting coordinator at Vanderbilt.  During her time at Vanderbilt, the Commodores made five straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including two Sweet 16 Appearances. The Commodores won two SEC Tournaments and were ranked in the Top 25 all five seasons. Vanderbilt also produced six WNBA draft picks in the last five seasons.
In her first season with the Commodores, she helped sign the No. 1 recruiting class in 2003, that produced the No. 10 and No. 14 picks in the 2007 WNBA Draft. Norman continued to solidify her reputation as a top recruiter by signing back-to-back Top 20 classes in 2005 and 2006. The 2006 recruiting class was ranked No. 7 in the nation.

Norman came to Vanderbilt after serving two seasons as an assistant at Oregon State. After serving one year away from collegiate athletics, Norman joined the Oregon State women’s basketball staff in May of 2000. She helped guide the Beavers to a 16-13 overall mark and their first post-season appearance since 1996 with a trip to the WNIT.

Norman began her stint in Oregon when she joined the University of Oregon staff in 1992 as an assistant coach. During her time at Oregon, the Ducks compiled a 122-69 record, including six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

Norman was a four-year letterwinner at Arizona State University where she served as the Sun Devils’ captain during her junior and senior seasons. She earned a bachelor of science degree in wildlife biology from Arizona State in 1989 and earned a master’s degree in education administration from the University of Hawaii in 1992.