Charity Dawn Elliott (née Shira; born November 11, 1969)[1] is an American basketball coach currently serving as the head women's basketball coach at Point Loma Nazarene University. She was the women's basketball team head coach at Loyola Marymount University from 2012 to 2021. She has previously been the women's head basketball coach at Portland State, UC San Diego, and California Baptist.

Charity Elliott
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamPoint Loma
ConferencePacific West Conference
Biographical details
Born (1969-10-11) October 11, 1969 (age 55)
Playing career
1987–1989Rice
1990–1992Southwest Missouri State
Position(s)Guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1992–1993Glendale HS (frosh)
1993–1994San Diego State (asst.)
1994–1996Southwest Missouri State (asst.)
1996–1999Southwest Baptist (asst.)
1999–2000South Adelaide
2001–2003California Baptist
2003–2004Arkansas (asst.)
2004–2007Portland State
2007–2012UC San Diego
2012–2021Loyola Marymount
2021–presentPoint Loma
Head coaching record
Overall258–236 (.522)
Tournaments4–4 (NCAA D-II)
0-1 (WNIT)
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
  • CCAA Coach of the Year (2009, 2010, 2012)
  • WBCA West Region Coach of the Year (2012)

Playing career

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After attending Fair Grove High School in Fair Grove, Missouri,[2] Elliott began playing college basketball as a guard at Rice University. As a freshman (1987–88), Elliott averaged 7.1 points and 4.3 rebounds.[3] The following season, she averaged 16.8 points and 5.7 rebounds.[4]

In 1989, Elliott transferred to Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State). After redshirting a year per NCAA transfer rules, Elliott averaged 7.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in the 1990–91 season.[5] In her senior season in 1991–92, Elliott averaged 8.4 points and 2.3 rebounds and helped Southwest Missouri State to a 31–3 record and its first Final Four appearance in school history.[6][7] Elliott ranked in the top 10 nationally in field goal percentage. Elliott graduated from Southwest Missouri State with a B.S. in psychology.[8]

Coaching career

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Elliott began her coaching career in 1992 as freshmen girls' basketball coach at Glendale High School in Springfield, Missouri.[9] The following year, Elliott joined the coaching staff of Beth Burns at San Diego State.[10] From 1994 to 1996, Elliott was an assistant coach at Southwest Missouri State, followed by a three-year stint at Southwest Baptist while pursuing an M.A. in education at the university.[11]

In 1999, Elliott became women's head coach for the South Adelaide Basketball Club of the Australian Basketball Association and served one year in that position.[11][12] From 2001 to 2003 Elliott had her first college head coaching position at California Baptist University. Elliott would build the basketball program from scratch and compile a 28-34 record with the Lancers. In her second season the Lancers would post a 16-16 record, snapping the programs 10-year losing streak.[8]

After one season away from head coaching, Elliott returned as the head coach at Portland State. Once again she would be tasked with rebuilding the program. Over a three-year stretch Elliott compiled a 27-57 record. After the Vikings went 3-23, including 1-13 in the Big Sky Conference, during her first year in 2004-05, Portland State jumped to 12-16 and 6-8 in the conference during her second season and the Vikings qualified for the Big Sky Tournament. Portland State would finish 12-18 in her third season, including an 8-8 mark in the Big Sky.[13]

Elliott would leave Portland State to become the head coach at UC San Diego. From 2007-2012 Elliott would become one of the top women's basketball coaches in Division 2. While with the Tritons, Elliott would compile a 127-34 overall record and would win the West Region's Coach of the Year. Elliott would lead the Tritons to four conference champions, five tournament berths, and two third-round appearances.[8] To begin the 2011-12 season, the team would start 26-0 and be ranked as the #1 school in the nation for seven weeks. The team finished 30–3 and made the NCAA Tournament West Regional Championship. Elliott earned Women's Basketball Coaches Association West Region Coach of the Year and California Collegiate Athletic Association Coach of the Year honors that year.[8][14]

On April 3, 2012, Elliott was hired as the head coach for Loyola Marymount (LMU). Elliott is married to Chris Elliott and has coached alongside him for more than 7 years at UC San Diego and LMU.[8] Elliott stepped away from her position at LMU on April 5, 2021.[15] She was hired as head coach at Point Loma on May 11, 2021.[15]

Personal life

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Charity Elliott is married to Chris Elliott, a fellow Missouri State alum who has worked together with Elliott on coaching staffs dating back to their time at San Diego State in the 1993–94 season.[16][11]

Head coaching record

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Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
California Baptist Lancers[17] (Golden State Athletic Conference) (2001–2003)
2001–02 California Baptist 12–19 6–14 9th
2002–03 California Baptist 16–16 9–11 T–5th
California Baptist: 28–35 (.444) 15–25 (.375)
Portland State Vikings (Big Sky Conference) (2004–2007)
2004–05 Portland State 3–23 1–13 8th
2005–06 Portland State 12–16 6–8 6th
2006–07 Portland State 12–18 8–8 T–5th
Portland State: 27–57 (.321) 15–29 (.341)
UC San Diego Tritons[18] (California Collegiate Athletic Association) (2007–2012)
2007–08 UC San Diego 25–10 14–6 3rd NCAA D-II Second Round[19]
2008–09 UC San Diego 27–5 19–1 1st NCAA D-II Second Round[20]
2009–10 UC San Diego 25–5 19–3 1st NCAA D-II First Round[21]
2010–11 UC San Diego 20–11 17–5 3rd
2011–12 UC San Diego 30–3 21–1 1st NCAA D-II Third Round[22]
UC San Diego: 127–34 (.789) 90–16 (.849)
Loyola Marymount Lions (West Coast Conference) (2012–2021)
2012–13 Loyola Marymount 13–18 6–10 T–5th
2013–14 Loyola Marymount 9–21 6–12 T–7th
2014–15 Loyola Marymount 7–24 4–14 8th
2015–16 Loyola Marymount 11–20 6–12 T–7th
2016–17 Loyola Marymount 14–16 9–9 T–5th
2017–18 Loyola Marymount 19–11 11–7 T–3rd
2018–19 Loyola Marymount 18–15 10–8 T-5th WNIT First Round
Loyola Marymount: 91–125 (.421) 57–72 (.442)
Total: 273–251 (.521)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

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  1. ^ "Women's Basketball Coaches Career". NCAA. Retrieved 30 Sep 2015.
  2. ^ Campbell, Paul (April 1, 2014). "Just call her coach". Buffalo Reflex. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  3. ^ "NCAA Statistics 1988" (PDF). web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  4. ^ "NCAA Statistics 1989" (PDF). web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  5. ^ "NCAA Statistics 1991" (PDF). web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  6. ^ "New Women's Basketball Head Coach Hired". UCSD News. Retrieved June 11, 2007.
  7. ^ "NCAA Statistics 1992" (PDF). web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Charity Elliott". Loyola Marymount University. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  9. ^ "Q&A with Women's Basketball Head Coach Charity Elliott". UCSD. October 15, 2007. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  10. ^ "Charity Elliott". UCSD Athletics. 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c "Charity Elliott". University of Arkansas. Archived from the original on May 17, 2004. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  12. ^ "Charity Elliott". Portland State University. Archived from the original on February 14, 2007. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  13. ^ "Portland States' Elliott resigns after three years to take San Diego job". ESPN. 9 June 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
  14. ^ "WBCA Announces Finalists for the 2012 RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA DII National Coach of the Year Award" (PDF). Women's Basketball Coaches Association. March 19, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  15. ^ a b "Elliott Steps Away Following Nine Seasons at LMU". Loyola Marymount University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  16. ^ "Chris Elliott". Loyola Marymount. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  17. ^ "Year-by-year results". Women's Basketball History. California Baptist University. 2015. p. 2.
  18. ^ CCAA Yearly Standings
  19. ^ "Women's Basketball".
  20. ^ "Women's Basketball".
  21. ^ "Women's Basketball".
  22. ^ "Women's Basketball".