June 14, 2007
Middleton Bio (PDF)
Louis Bio (PDF)
Klein Bio (PDF)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - First-year University of Illinois women's basketball coach Jolette Law now has a big part of her first coaching staff in place with the hiring of three assistant coaches on Thursday. Law is pleased to announce the hiring of Karen Middleton, Tamika Louis and Patrick Klein as assistant coaches.
"I think we'll have one of the finest staffs in the country," said Law, who was hired as the seventh University of Illinois women's basketball coach on May 11. "All three coaches come from winning traditions and have dynamic personalities and skill sets that will help us reach our goals here at Illinois. Each individual brings unique experiences to our program and, collectively, I think that will be a huge benefit for our student-athletes. We've found three of the hardest working coaches in the business and I feel blessed to have them all here as Fighting Illini."
Middleton comes to Illinois from Stanford University, where she spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach. She helped lead the Cardinal to eight Pac-10 Conference titles and 10 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including four Sweet Sixteens and three Elite Eights. Originally from Monroe, N.C., Middleton has experience with USA Basketball and was a standout player at the University of South Carolina from 1988-91.
"Karen has made a habit of working with winners," said Law of Middleton. "Her role with the successful Stanford women's basketball program brings immediate credibility and a winning track record to Illinois. Over the years, Karen has consistently demonstrated an ability to identify, recruit and develop future All-America and All-Conference talent. From a technical standpoint, her creativity, innovative mind and knowledge of the game will help us become one of the nation's top programs."
Louis brings collegiate head coaching experience with her to Illinois. She served as the head coach at Mott Community College in Flint, Mich., for three seasons from 2002-05, where she had a record of 58-33 and was named Regional Coach of the Year in 2005. In addition to coaching, Louis has also worked at General Motors for the last eight years (1999-2007) in the Northeast Region, most recently as a Service Development Manager. At G.M., she used her business savvy and unlimited enthusiasm to gain several promotions and won the Corporate Woman of the Year Achievement Award representing the Accessory Department in 2003.
"Tamika is no stranger to competitive environments," said Law of Louis. "She has worked both the sidelines as a former junior college head coach, and the board room as a former manager in corporate America. Tamika's expertise in coaching, scouting, recruiting, and mentoring, along with her management experiences, will have a positive impact on our program. She brings with her a commitment to the total development of our student-athletes on and off the court."
Klein has spent the last two years as a graduate assistant with the women's basketball team at The Ohio State University. With the Buckeyes, he assisted head coach Jim Foster's staff in several areas, including player development, recruiting, scouting, summer camps, community service and supervising the student managers. A native of Belpre, Ohio, Klein also has experience with USA Basketball and owns his own business, PB&J Consultants, which develops leadership workshops for high school student organizations
"Patrick's energy, enthusiasm and love for the game immediately won me over," said Law of Klein. "He is both a teacher and a student of the game. He's well connected in recruiting circles, has experience with USA Basketball, and has been in the Big Ten the last few years learning from one of the best in Jim Foster. Patrick's knowledge of the Big Ten, experience as a post coach, and leadership development training is sure to serve our staff and student-athletes well."
Here's what the new assistants had to say about becoming Fighting Illini
Karen Middleton
"I am excited to join the Illini family and work with Jolette. Illinois
is a great opportunity and a new challenge for me at this point in
my career. I'm thankful to Tara and Stanford for 10 invaluable
years. I look forward to bringing those experiences to Illinois and
help our program reach new heights."
Tamika Louis
"To be able to coach in the Big Ten and work with someone like
Jolette Law is a dream come true. Coach Law is a great mentor and
motivator that I'll be able to learn a lot from. I know that we have
a great team returning that will be hungry and it's exciting to come
in and be a part of that. I'm looking forward to working with the
new staff to bring a championship to the University of Illinois."
Patrick Klein
"I am extremely excited about becoming a part of the University
of Illinois' rich tradition and helping Coach Law build a championship
program here. I believe in Coach Law's vision and am dedicated
to making Illinois a place where every basketball player
dreams of playing. I am thrilled to be a Fighting Illini!"
While the three assistant coach spots are now filled, Law will name two more additions to her staff in the coming weeks.
