June 12, 2007

BERKELEY - Kevin Morrison has been hired as an assistant coach for the California women's basketball program, Golden Bear head coach Joanne Boyle announced on Tuesday. Morrison joins the Bears after seven years as a successful California AAU coach.

"Kevin is an outstanding addition to our program," Boyle said. "He is a very hard-worker who knows this business and is very familiar with the recruiting scene. He is the type of coach that players enjoy playing for and someone they play hard for. I know he will work extra hard to get Cal's name out there. His experience will also be a major asset for the development of our summer-camp program."

Most recently, Morrison served as the president and head coach of the West Coast Elite AAU girls' basketball team. In addition to serving as the program's recruiting coordinator, he provided individual coaching and instruction to the members of the team. For the past three years, he has also been the director and editor of Grass Roots Journal, the top Western Regional scouting service. The service has over 93 Division I schools as subscribers and featured fall and spring showcases as well as the Grass Roots Sports Basketball Academy.

"I am very excited to join the California women's basketball program," Morrison said. "The opportunity to work with Joanne Boyle and her staff at the No. 1 public university in the nation was something that was too good for me to pass up. I hope my knowledge and experience will add to the coaching staff and help us come together and continue to build this program. My goal is the same as our entire staff - I want to help the Golden Bears win a National Championship."

During his three years with West Coast Elite, he coached 26 players who went on to play college basketball, including four McDonald's All-Americans and two Gatorade State Players of the Year.

Morrison has also served as a consultant for Blue Star Basketball, working as a camp director and tournament director for various events. He has also been a varsity girls' basketball assistant coach for Upland High School (2002-03) and Charter Oak High School (2000-02).

A 1994 graduate of Cal Poly Pomona with a degree in social work, Morrison spent over nine years as a social worker and high school guidance counselor.

Morrison joins a California program that posted a 23-9 overall record in 2006-07, which was one win shy of matching the 1983-84 Bears (24-8) for the most wins in school history. Before the latest campaign, Cal hadn't posted a 20-win season in 15 years.

Also in 2006-07, Cal matched the 1991-92 Bears for the program's best Pac-10 record (12-6) while ranking third for the best Pac-10 finish in school history. Cal earned a national ranking almost every week, including a school-record No. 15 ranking by the Associated Press for two weeks. In addition, the team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.