Women's Basketball Coach Chris Gobrecht Relieved Of Duties
March 17, 2004 | Women's Basketball
March 17, 2004
LOS ANGELES -- USC women's basketball head coach Chris Gobrecht has been relieved of her duties, USC athletic director Mike Garrett announced today (March 17).
Gobrecht, 49, had a 93-108 (.463) overall record and a 58-68 (.460) conference mark during her seven years (1998-2004) at the helm of the Women of Troy program. The Trojans made two appearances in the WNIT, but never advanced to the NCAA Tournament under Gobrecht.
"This was a very difficult decision because Chris meant a lot to the Trojan Family, but we felt it was time for our women's basketball program to go in a different direction," said Garrett. "We appreciate all the effort that Chris gave us during her seven years here and we wish her the best."
"We thank Chris for her passion, dedication and hard work for the past seven years," said USC senior associate athletic director Lisa Love. "It has not gone unrecognized. These decisions are never easy to make, especially when it involves someone who is so near and dear to the Trojan Family.
"We think the future of our women's basketball is bright and we look forward to playing championship basketball. We value the importance of this position and we will begin working on a replacement immediately."
Gobrecht, a former USC player, spent six years coaching at Cal State Fullerton, then 11 years at Washington and one year at Florida State before coming to USC for the 1997-98 season. Her Trojans enjoyed their greatest success in the 2000 and 2002 seasons when each team posted a 16-14 overall record and advanced to the second round of the Women's NIT postseason tournament.
This past season, USC was 15-13 and tied for third in the Pac-10 at 11-7. Despite upsetting Stanford and Arizona, the Women of Troy dropped five of their final eight games.
In 25 years as a head coach at the Division I level, Gobrecht has amassed a 425-311 (.578) career mark.
