Jan Ross

[bdan2002]

Jan Ross is entering her 16th season as an assistant coach on the Oklahoma basketball staff. Ross has played an instrumental part in rebuilding the Oklahoma program. She has helped head coach Sherri Coale turn the Oklahoma women's basketball program into a nationally recognized name.

Since Ross' arrival, the Sooners have won six Big 12 Conference regular season titles, four Big 12 Postseason Championships, produced ten 20-plus win seasons and advanced to 12 consecutive NCAA Tournaments. Ross also helped OU to the 2002 National Championship game and back-to-back national semifinals in 2009 and 2010.

Ross has been extremely active in all phases of Oklahoma's emergence into the national spotlight. Ross' area of emphasis includes coaching OU's frontcourt, recruiting and scouting opponents. Not only is her expertise with post players essential, but Ross is a mastermind when it comes down to the Xs and Os of the game. She is also one of the top recruiters in the game. Ross' recruiting efforts have ensured that the Sooners will remain one of the top women's basketball programs in the country.

In addition to the Sooners' team accomplishments with Ross on the sideline, OU post players have flourished individually. She has helped Phylesha Whaley, Courtney Paris and Caton Hill develop into three of the top post players in the country. All three players are among the best in Oklahoma history and the records books illustrate it.

In past seasons, Ross monitored the academic progress of each student-athlete. As a team, the Sooners have posted a team GPA of 3.0 or better for 25 of the 30 semesters she has been at OU and have had four student-athletes earn Academic All-America first team honors under Ross' watch. Oklahoma has produced 85 Academic All-Big 12 selections in 15 seasons.

With the Sooners' recent success, Ross has experienced first hand the growing interest in girls basketball within the state and surrounding areas as noted by the rapid attendance increase in OU's Sooner Sessions Camps. OU annually hosts approximately 1,500 campers, which includes more than 100 teams.

As a player at Oklahoma Christian, she collected numerous playing and academic honors including NAIA honorable mention All-America, All-District IV and All-Sooner Athletic Conference selection as a senior. She also was an NAIA Scholar Athlete and was elected to Who's Who. An all-state athlete at Putnam City West, Ross ranks 11th on Oklahoma Christian's career scoring list with 1,348 points. She holds the school record for career steals (300) and completed her career with a .537 field goal percentage and 494 assists.

After ending her collegiate career with Oklahoma Christian, Ross joined the program as an assistant coach for five years and served as assistant athletics director for two years. This Oklahoman was inducted into her alma mater's Athletic Hall of Fame in February 2003.