University of Minnesota Athletics
Shimmy Gray-Miller Named to Gophers Coaching Staff
5/18/2021 3:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS – Shimmy Gray-Miller has been named assistant coach for the Minnesota women's basketball program, head coach Lindsay Whalen announced Tuesday.
With 20 years of coaching experience, Gray-Miller has spent time at all five of the Power Five conferences. During her career, she has helped her teams to nine NCAA Tournament appearances, including one Sweet 16 appearance, and coached six WNBA Draft selections.
"I am thrilled to announce Shimmy Gray-Miller as our newest member of the women's basketball staff," Whalen said. "Shimmy brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our program, and I believe she'll be a tremendous asset to our athletic department as a whole, as well.
"Shimmy is well respected in the women's college basketball world. She will make an immediate impact on the culture we are building here, and her energy will make us better. She is a great coach, but an even better person. I can't wait for her to get started."
Gray-Miller comes to the Golden Gophers after spending the past three seasons at Clemson. She helped the Tigers to two postseason appearances in her three seasons, including reaching the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Kobi Thornton, an All-ACC Second Team member, was chosen in the third round of the 2020 WNBA Draft.
"Why this move is the right fit? Four words: Lindsay Whalen; Big Ten," Gray-Miller said. "I have Big Ten roots, and I've always been a fan of one of the greatest to ever play this game. This is an opportunity to coach in the best conference in the country while learning and growing with an exceptional and talented coaching staff. From my first conversation with Coach Whalen, it was obvious we share similar values and goals and that's very important to me.
"This is a committed fan base which will make it a fun environment to recruit to, and the current players have bought in to the vision, which was very obvious to me. I get to be part of the special program Coach Whalen is building while also being closer to home and family. I couldn't be happier."
Prior to Clemson, Gray-Miller spent a season as an assistant coach and interim head coach at Texas Tech, where she worked with current Minnesota Assistant AD/Director of Operations Melissa Maines.
Gray-Miller was at the University of Florida from 2015-2017 as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. She helped pull in a top 25 class in 2017 after the Gators reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2016. She primarily oversaw the development of the post players at Florida, coaching senior Ronni Williams (2016-17), a First Team All-SEC selection by the coaches and the media. Williams led the SEC in scoring and received a WBCA All-American Team Honorable Mention before being taken in the second round of the 2017 WNBA Draft.
Prior to her time at Florida, Gray-Miller served as assistant coach at the University of Nebraska from 2012-15. The team earned an NCAA Tournament berth in all three seasons with a Sweet 16 appearance in 2012-13. Thanks to her recruiting efforts, Nebraska was ranked the No. 8 and No. 9 November signing classes in 2014 and 2013, respectively.
Gray-Miller coached Nebraska standout Jordan Hooper to first team All-America status and a No. 10 all-time rebounding mark in Big Ten history (1,110 career rebounds). Hooper was a two-time All-Big Ten choice and the 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year before being taken with the first pick in the second round of the 2014 WNBA Draft. During Gray-Miller's time with the Huskers, she also helped in the development of Lindsey Moore, a 2013 first-round pick of the Minnesota Lynx.
The longest tenure for Gray-Miller came from 2005-12 when she headed up the Saint Louis University women's basketball program. While with the Billikens, Gray-Miller coached seven All-A-10 recipients and a pair of CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.
Additional stops for Gray-Miller include two years as an assistant coach at the University of Arizona (2003-05) and three years at the University of Washington (2000-03) in the same position. In those five seasons, she coached two Pac-10 Champions, helped the teams to two NCAA Tournament berths each and saw Wildcats guard Dee-Dee Wheeler (2005) and Huskies guard Megan Franza (2001) selected in the second and fourth rounds of the WNBA Draft, respectively.
Gray-Miller is a 1994 graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in sociology. The three-time letterwinner at Michigan served as a team captain during the 1993-94 season and won the Bob Ufer Quarterback Club Award for leadership and dedication. Gray-Miller played professionally for Olivais Futebol Clube, a first-division club team in Coimbra, Portugal.
With 20 years of coaching experience, Gray-Miller has spent time at all five of the Power Five conferences. During her career, she has helped her teams to nine NCAA Tournament appearances, including one Sweet 16 appearance, and coached six WNBA Draft selections.
"I am thrilled to announce Shimmy Gray-Miller as our newest member of the women's basketball staff," Whalen said. "Shimmy brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our program, and I believe she'll be a tremendous asset to our athletic department as a whole, as well.
"Shimmy is well respected in the women's college basketball world. She will make an immediate impact on the culture we are building here, and her energy will make us better. She is a great coach, but an even better person. I can't wait for her to get started."
Gray-Miller comes to the Golden Gophers after spending the past three seasons at Clemson. She helped the Tigers to two postseason appearances in her three seasons, including reaching the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Kobi Thornton, an All-ACC Second Team member, was chosen in the third round of the 2020 WNBA Draft.
"Why this move is the right fit? Four words: Lindsay Whalen; Big Ten," Gray-Miller said. "I have Big Ten roots, and I've always been a fan of one of the greatest to ever play this game. This is an opportunity to coach in the best conference in the country while learning and growing with an exceptional and talented coaching staff. From my first conversation with Coach Whalen, it was obvious we share similar values and goals and that's very important to me.
"This is a committed fan base which will make it a fun environment to recruit to, and the current players have bought in to the vision, which was very obvious to me. I get to be part of the special program Coach Whalen is building while also being closer to home and family. I couldn't be happier."
Prior to Clemson, Gray-Miller spent a season as an assistant coach and interim head coach at Texas Tech, where she worked with current Minnesota Assistant AD/Director of Operations Melissa Maines.
Gray-Miller was at the University of Florida from 2015-2017 as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. She helped pull in a top 25 class in 2017 after the Gators reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2016. She primarily oversaw the development of the post players at Florida, coaching senior Ronni Williams (2016-17), a First Team All-SEC selection by the coaches and the media. Williams led the SEC in scoring and received a WBCA All-American Team Honorable Mention before being taken in the second round of the 2017 WNBA Draft.
Prior to her time at Florida, Gray-Miller served as assistant coach at the University of Nebraska from 2012-15. The team earned an NCAA Tournament berth in all three seasons with a Sweet 16 appearance in 2012-13. Thanks to her recruiting efforts, Nebraska was ranked the No. 8 and No. 9 November signing classes in 2014 and 2013, respectively.
Gray-Miller coached Nebraska standout Jordan Hooper to first team All-America status and a No. 10 all-time rebounding mark in Big Ten history (1,110 career rebounds). Hooper was a two-time All-Big Ten choice and the 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year before being taken with the first pick in the second round of the 2014 WNBA Draft. During Gray-Miller's time with the Huskers, she also helped in the development of Lindsey Moore, a 2013 first-round pick of the Minnesota Lynx.
The longest tenure for Gray-Miller came from 2005-12 when she headed up the Saint Louis University women's basketball program. While with the Billikens, Gray-Miller coached seven All-A-10 recipients and a pair of CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.
Additional stops for Gray-Miller include two years as an assistant coach at the University of Arizona (2003-05) and three years at the University of Washington (2000-03) in the same position. In those five seasons, she coached two Pac-10 Champions, helped the teams to two NCAA Tournament berths each and saw Wildcats guard Dee-Dee Wheeler (2005) and Huskies guard Megan Franza (2001) selected in the second and fourth rounds of the WNBA Draft, respectively.
Gray-Miller is a 1994 graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in sociology. The three-time letterwinner at Michigan served as a team captain during the 1993-94 season and won the Bob Ufer Quarterback Club Award for leadership and dedication. Gray-Miller played professionally for Olivais Futebol Clube, a first-division club team in Coimbra, Portugal.
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