MORSE NAMED ASSISTANT WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH AT SLU

ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis University women's basketball coach Jill Pizzotti has announced that Bobbi Morse has been named assistant basketball coach. Her responsibilities for the Billikens will primarily include recruiting, scouting opponents and working with post players. Morse, who was the head women's basketball coach at the University of Missouri-St. Louis from 1989 to 1993, returns to the city after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Rhode Island for the past two seasons.

"I'm excited to be able to bring Bobbi back to the city of St. Louis," Pizzotti said. "She has a wealth of experience both in recruiting and coaching. She has maintained her contacts in the Midwest, and is familiar with the recruits in this area. Bobbi is a hard worker, and we are fortunate to have someone with her vast experience on the staff."

After working in the college ranks for nearly a decade, Morse served as the only assistant coach under Angela Beck with the American Basketball League's San Jose Lasers for two seasons, helping guide the team to the second round of the 1997-98 ABL playoffs. Among the players she worked with was two-time Olympian and former Stanford All-American Jennifer Azzi.

Prior to joining the San Jose coaching staff, Morse spent eight years in the college ranks where she coached six current WNBA players. Even more impressive, her players achieved a 100 percent graduation rate. As an assistant coach on Beck's staff at Nebraska, Morse helped lead the Huskers to a 22-8 finish and reached the NCAA Tournament in 1995-96. Nebraska finished 19-11 in the 1996-97 season, narrowly missing a second consecutive NCAA berth.

Recognized as an outstanding recruiter, Morse oversaw Nebraska's recruiting efforts and played a major role in signing one of the best recruiting classes in school history in 1996. She also handled scheduling and compliance duties in additon to her coaching responsibilities.

Morse has been a head coach for seven seasons compiling a 111-92 slate. She served as head coach at Kaskaskia (Ill.) Junior College from 1986-1989, where she posted a 70-25 mark, including a 30-4 mark during her final campaign. She then took the head position at the University of Missouri-St. Louis for four seasons, recording 41 wins before moving onto UMKC as an assistant coach in 1993.

Morse's collegiate playing career began at Wabash Valley College, where she is still the school's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. She was the captain of the women's basketball team at Eastern Michigan, where received a bachelor's degree in business in 1986. A native of Shelburn, Ind., Morse earned a master's degree in sports administration from the United States Sports Academy in 1991.