June 12, 2007

STANFORD, Calif.- Stanford women's basketball head coach Tara VanDerveer has announced the addition of former Cardinal Bobbie Kelsey as assistant coach.

Kelsey, a four-year letterwinner with the Cardinal from 1993-96, spent the last three years as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech.

"We are thrilled to have Bobbie as a part of our staff," said VanDerveer. "Bobbie brings tremendous experience to our program and obviously has a great connection with Stanford. She is extremely positive and upbeat, a super motivator and an excellent recruiter. Bobbie is passionate about both basketball and Stanford, and that makes her a fun person to be around."

A native of Decatur, Ga., Kelsey helped the Cardinal to three Final Four appearances in five years and was a member of the 1992 national championship team. Kelsey was a team co-captain in 1995 and 1996, voted the team's most inspirational player in 1992 and 1996, and named the team's most improved player in 1993. She earned her B.A. in communication from Stanford in 1996.

"I am just so excited and honored that Tara wants me to be a part of this staff," said Kelsey. "I love Stanford, so the decision to come back and coach is a no-brainer. I think that being part of a national championship team also brings instant credibility. This is already a tremendous program and I am looking forward to the opportunity."

During her appointment at Virginia Tech, Kelsey helped guide the Hokies to three consecutive postseason appearances, including NCAA Tournament berths in 2005 and 2006.

From 2002-04, Kelsey served as an assistant coach at Western Carolina and worked primarily with the post players while assisting with recruiting and camps. She coached 2002-03 Southern Conference Player of the Year Tiffany Hamm as well as Jennifer Gardner, the league's most accurate shooter that same year, making over 51-percent of her shots.

Kelsey spent the 2000-02 seasons as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at Evansville. Prior to her stint with the Aces, she was an assistant coach at Florida for two seasons where she was responsible for film exchange, scouting and coaching the posts. Kelsey helped the Lady Gators to back-to-back postseason appearances, including an NCAA Tournament trip in 1999 and a trip to the WNIT championship game in 2000.

Prior to her tenure at Florida, Kelsey served as a practice player for the Atlanta Glory of the American Basketball League for one year and as an assistant at Boise State for one season.