Inside The Panthers

Pitt Women's Basketball Adds New Assistant Coach

The Pitt Panthers signed a new assistant coach to the women's basketball program, their second coaching addition of the offseason.

Dominic Campbell

Pitt Women's Basketball announced the hiring of new assistant coach Devan Newman
Pitt Women's Basketball announced the hiring of new assistant coach Devan Newman / Courtesy of Pitt Athletics

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers added a new assitant coach to the women's basketball program in Devan Newman, announcing the hiring in a press release.

Newman worked hard in her studies, earning a bachelor's degree in sports administration from Oregon in 2007 and then her master's degree in sports administration from Louisville in 2009.

She started her coaching career spending three seasons at Louisville from 2008-11, beginning as a graduate assistant and then earning a promotion to assistant director of operations/special assistant to the head coach.

Newman would then work for seven seasons in Ogden, Utah, serving as an assistant coach for Weber State from 2011-18. She helped the program win a record 23 games in the 2015-16 season, making the Championship Game of the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI).

The Weber State head coach, Bethany Ord, took the head coaching job at Binghamton and brought Newman along with her starting with the 2018-19 season.

She spent the first three seasons, 2018-21, as an assistant coach and then earned a promotion to associate head coach for the past three seasons, 2021-24.

"We're thrilled to add Devan Newman to our staff," Panthers head coach Tory Verdi said in a press release. "She brings a wealth of knowledge to our program. Her expertise on both ends of the floor, along with her ability to develop players will help us immediately. She brings over 15 years of division I experience, including stops at Binghamton, Weber State and Louisville. As a program, we're excited for this upcoming season."

Newman is the second addition to the Pitt coaching staff this offseason, along with John Marcum, who serves as assistant coach/defensive coordinator. They join two other assistant coaches in Candice Finley, who also works as a recruiting coordinator, and Anthony Brammer, also director of NIL.

Marcum and Newman replace former assistant coaches in Ty Margenthaler, previous defensive coordinator, and Lakale Malone, previous offensive coordinator. Neither Margenthaler nor Malone are on the Pitt Panthers website as a part of the coaching staff.

The Panthers added a number of players to their roster in the transfer portal, including guards inAmiya Jenkins and Brooklynn Miles from Kentucky and Mikayla Johnson from Colorado, plus forwards in Khadija Faye from Texas and Makayla Elmore from Clemson.

Pitt also added an international wing inΒ Jovana Spasovski from Serbia in early June and two incoming freshmen in 6-foot guard Audrey Biggs, who played for Boyd County High School in Ashland, Ky., and forward Kiara Williams, who played for Palm Bay High School in Palm Bay, Fla.

There are also returners in guards, like senior Bella Perkins, juniors Raeven Boswell, Marley Washenitz and Aislin Malcolm and sophomore Aaryn Battle, plus sophomore forward Lauren Rust.

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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