OREM — Utah Valley University women's basketball head coach Cathy Nixon announced the hiring of Jason Glover to the position of associate head coach. Glover completes the UVU women's basketball staff and arrives from the Tulsa Shock of the WNBA where he held the same position.
In joining the staff at Utah Valley, Glover returns to the college ranks for the first time in over a decade — broadening a 27-year career that has spanned all levels of basketball, including, most notably, the professional ranks. In all, Glover's coaching career spans from AAU basketball with children as young as 6 years old, to high school (Las Vegas Rancho) and junior college (Dixie State); from NCAA Division I (Nevada), to the NBA D-League, NBA and WNBA.
"We are extremely excited to be bringing Jason on board," 18-year head coach Nixon said. "He is just a superstar in every way, both as a person and as a coach. He has a great work ethic and has a wealth of experience at levels that are just a whole new world for us. I'm mostly excited for our players who will have the opportunity to learn from him and to reach their goals individually and as a team. We're thrilled to have a coach of his caliber on our staff and we're looking forward to integrating him into the Wolverine family."
Continuing a year-round coaching cycle that has been the norm for much of his career, Glover transitioned to Orem just weeks after the conclusion of the WNBA regular season. Under head coach Gary Kloppenburg, Glover spent the last two seasons with the Shock and worked with WNBA stars and former NCAA standouts Candice Wiggins, Skylar Diggins, Courtney Paris and the 2013 Sixth Woman of the Year Riquna Williams.
Glover's first foray into the highest levels of professional basketball came during the 2010-11 season when he served as a player development coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves. In Minneapolis, Glover worked with players such as Kevin Love, Kosta Koufos, Anthony Tolliver and Sebastian Telfair, helping them gain consistency in their shooting form, footwork and the other minute details of a top-notch NBA skillset.
With a season of NBA ball under his belt, Glover returned to his home state to accept an associate head coach position with the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League. A Las Vegas native, Glover had previously spent two seasons with the Bighorns as director of basketball operations from 2008-10. From 2011-13, Glover worked around the calendar, splitting winter-summer duties between the Bighorns and the Shock. At the conclusion of the 2012-13 NBADL season, he was named interim head coach of the Bighorns for the final 12 games after the team parted ways with former head coach Paul Mokeski. Based on his successful time on the Bighorns' sidelines and his popularity with the Reno fan base, Glover earned the nod for the full-time head job on June 30, 2013. But when the Bighorns organization came under new basketball operations management, he was released, opening the door for a move to Utah Valley.
Alongside fifth-year head coach Liz Darger, Glover completes Nixon's staff for the upcoming 2013-14 season.
"I've known (head coach) Cathy (Nixon) for 10 years or so and she offered me a great opportunity to help her out," Glover said. "Coming from the WNBA, I've wanted to get back into college basketball and Cathy was gracious enough to offer me a chance to do so. I'm excited for the opportunity to help these girls and help build this program."
Glover's last appearance at the NCAA level came in 1999, his final season as an assistant coach with the men's program at the University of Nevada. He spent seven seasons with the Wolf Pack and was head coach Pat Foster's top assistant during that time.
With a coaching career that has spanned the nation, Glover is not without a stop in the state of Utah. From 1990-93, he coached at Dixie State under Dave Rose, now the head coach at BYU, and helped build Dixie into a national power. The Rebels were twice ranked in the NJCAA top-10 during his time in St. George.
Glover is also familiar with the UCCU Center, frequenting the arena during his D-League days when the Bighorns visited Orem to face the Utah Flash.
He graduated from Grand Canyon University in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in education.
Kellen Hiser is an assistant sports information director at Utah Valley University. For more information on Wolverine athletics, visit WolverineGreen.com.