ORONO — Jill Poe, a veteran Division I head coach and assistant, has been named assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maine women’s basketball program, UMaine head coach Richard Barron announced in a press release Monday.
Poe comes to Maine with more than 17 years of experience at the Division I level.
“I am very excited to announce the hiring of Jill Poe as our assistant coach and recruiting coordinator,” Barron said in the press release. “Jill has a tremendous backgound in women’s basketball as both a head coach and an assistant. Jill has taken a team to NCAA tournaments and conference championships as a head coach and has worked well with successful head coaches in the A-10, CAA, and C-USA conferences.
“Jill knows the job and brings instant organization and coordination to our recruiting efforts. She also provides me with an experienced colleague that I can lean on in a variety of ways,” Barron added.
“I am grateful to have the opportunity to work at such special place,” said Poe. “Maine has an enormous sense of pride when it comes to this program and the overwhelming community support is so impressive. Everyone I’ve met here has been great and just welcomed me with open arms into the Black Bear family. It is a privilege to get to work with Richard Barron, a coach I have such high respect for and I know he is the right man for the job. I am excited to join his staff and to play a part in his plan to reignite the passion and excitement for this program.”
Poe spent the 2010 season at East Carolina University as its director of video services and scouting. Before East Carolina, Poe was an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington (2007-2010).
Poe spent 2003-2007 as the head women’s basketball coach at St. Francis University, where she guided the Red Flash to a pair of Northeast Conference regular season and tournament titles and twice advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Before St. Francis, Poe spent 1996-2003 as an assistant basketball coach at Duquesne. Poe started her development into her coaching career by coaching high school and AAU teams in northern Virginia from 1989-1996 after getting her start as a student assistant women’s basketball coach with her alma mater, the West Virginia Mountaineers (1985-87)..
Poe, who earned a bachelor’s degree. in physical education from West Virginia in 1989, has devoted time in a variety of clinics, including participating in YES (Youth Education through Sports) clinics and Coaches vs. Cancer clinics.
“This completes our staff and I am so happy with the progress we have made in a short period of time,” Barron said. “We’re looking forward to camp starting next week and to getting out on the road in July, identifying the next generation of women’s basketball players for UMaine.”
The Friends of Maine Women’s Basketball board had the opportunity to meet the coaching staff at its recent annual meeting.
“The consensus is that Richard Barron has surrounded himself with a very experienced and exciting staff,” said Friends Group President Maria Baeza. “It’s like Maine’s version of the Dream Team. The current staff reflects a great combination and variety of strengths. They actually are hoping the summer flies by so we can get into the season and get things rolling.”