Full-Circle: Stephanie Norman returns home as Women’s Basketball Associate Head Coach

TEMPE – After winning a 2021 National Assistant Coach of the Year award and making it to four Final Fours, Stephanie Norman is returning home. In April, the program announced that the Arizona State alumni, who was just elected into the A STEP UP Assistant Coaches Hall of Fame, will be joining Sun Devil Women's Basketball as an associate head coach and director of basketball strategy.

Returning to her alma mater is more than simply a coaching decision for Norman, who helped turn Louisville into a national powerhouse during her 18-year career. It's the realization of a personal dream that has been developing for decades.

“I remember driving down University in my little brown Nissan pickup truck after graduating,” Norman said. “All my stuff was packed in the back. As I was heading toward L.A., I thought to myself, ‘I wonder if someday I could ever come back here.’ I loved it so much. This job really matters to me.”

Norman has coached for over 30 years, including coaching at Oregon, Vanderbilt and most recently, Louisville, where she helped lead the Cardinals to 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, including two national runner-up finishes. Norman was a former Sun Devil captain and a two-time Pac-10 All-Academic selection (1984–88).

From Sports360AZ: Stephanie Norman ‘staking career’ on move to ASU women’s basketball staff

Norman coached 15 WNBA draft selections at Louisville, including five first-round picks, and is well-known around the country for her skills in player development and recruiting. However, she claims that since her playing days at ASU, her coaching mentality has changed drastically.

“Thirty-five years ago, coaching was more hardline — tough love, no gray area,” Norman said. “Now, the best staff are the ones who are relatable and truly connected to their players, not just for four years, but for life after basketball. I think we've evolved, and that’s a good thing.”

In a field where few people get to decide how their stories unfold, Norman's hiring represents a symbolic homecoming, as well as an extraordinary example of empowerment.

“In this industry, most of us don’t get to decide our end game,” Norman said. “So, for me to come back to where it all started, not out of necessity, but by choice, that’s incredibly meaningful.”

Norman was a four-year letter winner (1984-88) and a two-time Pac-10 All-Academic selection at ASU. She played 74 games in the Maroon and Gold and served as the team's captain her junior and senior seasons. What stands out to her the most from her playing days is the people who surrounded her.

“The thing that was most captivating for me was my teammates and the experience I had with the community here. It's really what brought me back,” Norman said. “We were an okay team. We weren't great, but we weren't bad. But it was the relationships I had with my teammates that I still have to this day that really sunk my heart into this place. So, it was a difficult decision for me to come back, but at the same time, it was all the more special to be able to sink my feet back into my roots and lean into this position and call it home again.”

In addition to Tempe feeling like home, the addition of new head coach Molly Miller made Arizona State an exciting destination with a new culture to help build. Miller knew from the start that Norman would be a strong coach to add to the staff.

“She (Norman) really leads with that servant mentality and she's in a space right now where I think she does want to give back,” Miller said. “told her I need her. I need someone like her right now to do this with me. That's what's going to be unique about this staff. It's totally going to be a team effort. You're going to hear all the voices equally.”

From their first conversation, Norman knew that she would work well with Miller to help bring success to Arizona State.

“I didn't know her (Miller) all that well, but I knew of her and the reputation that she had garnered in her short time in this industry has been a players coach,” Norman said. “One that the kids really rally around and love to play for and she's a good person. I can lean into someone else and really elevate Molly and even protect her from all of the things that are coming at her because I've seen it, I've done it and I've experienced it. And so now I just feel like I can impart my wisdom and give it to her.”

The goal for Sun Devil Women’s Basketball is the same across the entire staff: excellence.

“I just want to get this program elevated into a space of excellence, and I really feel comfortable in that space,” Norman said. “And I only know one way to do things and that's to win. I know what the standard of excellence looks like and I know how to captivate and inspire people around me to get them on that path. So those are the things that I'm looking forward to pouring into this institution again.”