June 19, 2002

Santa Barbara, Calif. - Carter Shaw, who has worked with highly successful squads in the Mountain West Conference the past five seasons, was named an assistant coach with the UC Santa Barbara women's basketball team Wednesday by head coach Mark French.

The native of Salt Lake City, Utah will begin his tenure at UCSB on July 1 and will work primarily on the skill development of the Gaucho post players while also overseeing the program's camps and clinics.

Prior to his appointment at Santa Barbara, Shaw was an assistant coach at Colorado State University the past two seasons, both resulting in NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2000-01 the Rams posted a 25-7 overall record and won the Mountain West Tournament title before advancing to the second round of the Big Dance. While in Fort Collins, Colo., Shaw was responsible for scouting, tape exchange and editing and diagramming offensive schemes among other duties.

The year before joining the staff at CSU, Shaw was part of another MWC championship team at the University of Utah under longtime head coach Elaine Elliott. In 1999-00 the Utes captured their first-ever league tournament crown and played in the NCAA tourney, finishing with a 23-8 mark. With Shaw on board Utah also made an NCAA appearance in 1997-98, and earned a berth in the postseason Women's National Invitation Tournament the following year. Over the past five seasons Shaw's teams have won no fewer than 21 games, compiling a cumulative record of 114-35 (.765).

After graduating from Utah in 1995 with a B.S. in Exercise and Sports Science, Shaw spent one season as a volunteer assistant coach with the Utes' men's program. In 1995-96 Rick Majerus' squad advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16, meaning Shaw has been to the postseason all six years of his collegiate career.

"Carter has worked with three of the coaches out here on the West Coast whom I admire the most [Tom Collen, Elliott and Majerus]," French said. "He has been around some really good people and absorbed a lot of knowledge, which can only benefit our team. He will work a lot with our post players, and I was impressed with the skill development shown by athletes under Carter's tutelage at his previous schools."

Following his stint with the Utah men, Shaw spent the 1996-97 season as the head junior varsity boys coach at his alma mater, Intermountain Christian High School in Salt Lake City, while also assisting with the boys' varsity team. He also served as an assistant coach at Intermountain Christian for three years while a student at Utah. In addition to spending most of his summers working at various camps and clinics, Shaw was a volunteer assistant in 2000 with the Utah Starzz of the WNBA, scouting opponents and breaking down game tape.

Shaw fills an opening on the UCSB coaching staff left by the departure of Kristen Gillespie, who has returned to her alma mater - North Carolina State - to pursue a master's degree in Sport Management after spending two seasons with the Gaucho program. Second-year assistant Tasha McDowell will assume Gillespie's position of recruiting coordinator, while Shaw will also be involved in the recruiting process.