TCU Hires Porter for Director of Basketball Operations Position

TCU Women's Basketball Head Coach Jeff Mittie announced Wednesday the hiring of Tricia Porter as the program's new Director of Basketball Operations. Porter, whose last name was Payne prior to marrying fiancé Tyler in August 2003, starred for the Lady Frogs from 1998-2003 and ranks among the school's career leaders in numerous statistical categories. She is the first former player of Mittie's to later be hired on his staff.

"It's exciting to have a former player on staff," said Mittie. "I felt Tricia would be an outstanding coach some day. She accomplished many great things as an athlete and will do the same as a coach."

After earning her Bachelor's of Business Administration from TCU in August 2002 and her Master's of Liberal Arts the following summer, Porter became the women's basketball head coach at Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth. In her only year with the program, she led the team to the playoffs for the first time in five years and finished as the runner-up for District Coach of the Year honors. Porter was responsible for all phases of the program, from budgeting and scheduling to coaching and tournament management.

"I'm very thankful for the opportunity Coach Mittie has given me," said Porter. "It's very rare that one gets the chance to come back to his or her alma mater. Ever since I was a kid, I've always wanted to be a college coach, and it's great to be able to realize that dream in my own backyard."

Porter, who came to TCU in fall 1998 after playing at Duncan High School in Duncan, Okla., is fourth on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,178 points. Porter suffered a torn ACL prior to her senior season and redshirted before becoming the fifth 1,000-point scorer in school history Dec. 28, 2002, in a 70-53 victory against Vanderbilt. She averaged over double figures in each of her first three years and holds the school's career record for free throw percentage (.830, 322-388). She also ranks among the top 10 in career games played (4th), games started (6th), field goals (10th), field goal attempts (T-9th), threes made (3rd), threes attempted (3rd), three-point field goal percentage (4th), free throws made (3rd), free throws attempted (4th) and assists (6th).

Porter accumulated a number of honors as a Lady Frog. She helped the Purple and White earn its first bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2001, the same season she led TCU to its first conference tournament championship. Porter was subsequently named the Western Athletic Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player after tallying 26 points against Hawai'i in the title game. She was also named TCU's Player of the Year in 2002 and earned the Janice Dziuk Award in 2003.

No stranger to success in the classroom, Porter was named to the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2003 for maintaining at least a 3.0 grade point average. She also snagged a Commissioner's Academic Medal the same year for attaining at least a 3.75 GPA for the academic year. Porter earned the team's Academic Award in 2003 as well.