Tricia Bader Binford

Tricia Bader Binford
Personal information
Born (1973-02-26) February 26, 1973 (age 51)
Decatur, Illinois, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Listed weight125 lb (57 kg)
Career information
High schoolRoaring Fork (Carbondale, Colorado)
CollegeBoise State (1991–1996)
WNBA draft1998: 4th round, 31st overall pick
Selected by the Utah Starzz
PositionGuard
Number10, 11
Career history
As player:
1998–1999Utah Starzz
1999–2002Cleveland Rockers
As coach:
1999–2001Boise State (assistant)
2003–2005Utah State (assistant)
2005–presentMontana State
Career highlights and awards
  • 3× All-Big Sky (1993, 1994, 1996)
  • 4× Big Sky Coach of the Year (2016, 2020, 2021, 2023)
Stats at Basketball Reference

Tricia Lynne Bader Binford (née Bader; born February 26, 1973)[1] is an American former professional basketball guard who played for the Utah Starzz and Cleveland Rockers of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is currently the head coach of the Montana State Bobcats. She played college basketball for the Boise State Broncos as a four-year starter at point guard, earning All-Big Sky Conference honors three times and setting the school's career assists record. She then played two seasons of professional basketball in Australia before being selected by the Utah Starzz in the fourth round of the 1998 WNBA draft. She played for the Starzz from 1998 to 1999 and for the Cleveland Rockers from 1999 to 2002. Following her playing career, she served as an assistant coach at Boise State and for the Utah State Aggies. She became the head coach of the Montana State Bobcats in 2005 and is the winningest coach in team history. Binford is also a four-time Big Sky women's basketball coach of the year.

Early life

Tricia Lynne Bader was born on February 26, 1973, in Decatur, Illinois, and raised in Carbondale, Colorado.[2][3][4][a] She attended Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale, participating in basketball, volleyball, and track.[2] She earned All-State honors three times in basketball and led the team to the 1989, 1990 and 1991 state basketball championships.[7] Binford was named the Colorado Player of the Year and a Street and Smith's All-American her senior year in 1991.[3] She was a two-time USA Today All-American as well.[8]

Binford also won five state titles in track.[7] Roaring Fork High named its "Three-Sport Athlete Award" after Binford.[7] She was inducted into the Colorado High School Activities Association Hall of Fame in 2017.[7][9]

College career

Binford received offers from several in-state schools to play college basketball but instead decided to enroll at Boise State University.[10] She played for the Boise State Broncos as a point guard from 1991 to 1996, and was a four-year starter.[3][11] She played in 29 games during her freshman year in 1991–92, averaging 6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game.[12] She appeared in 27 games during the 1992–93 season, averaging 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, a conference-leading 4.7 assists, and 2.3 steals, earning All-Big Sky Conference honors.[12][1] Binford participated in the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival as part of the West team.[8] She was the first Boise State basketball player, male or female, to ever play at the festival.[8] She played in 29 games for Boise State in 1993–94, averaging 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and a conference-leading 3.0 steals per game, garnering All-Big Sky recognition for the second consecutive season as Boise State advanced to the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament for the first time.[12][1][11] She appeared in three games in 1994–95 before suffering a season-ending ACL injury in the third contest.[13][14] She played in 27 games her senior year in 1995–96, averaging 11.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.1 steals per game, earning All-Big Sky accolades for the third straight season.[12][1] Binford was named the 1996 Idaho NCAA Woman of the Year.[3]

Binford set the school record for career assists with 438 and finished second in steals with 259.[3][12] Boise State had a 76–36 record in the four seasons she started at point guard.[11] She graduated from Boise State with a degree in criminal justice in 1995.[3] Binford was also a four-time Big Sky All-Academic selection in 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1996.[11] Binford was inducted into the Boise State Hall of Fame in 2001.[3]

Professional career

After her college career, she underwent double-knee surgery and then spent two seasons playing professionally in Australia, spending time with the Brisbane Blazers of the Women's National Basketball League, the Launceston Tornadoes of the South East Australian Basketball League, and the Latrobe Demons of the North West Basketball Union (NWBU).[15][3][4][16] She had a quadruple-double in a 1997 NWBU game, recording 67 points, 14 assists, 10 rebounds, and 10 steals. Her 67 points also set the league's single-game scoring record.[3][16][5]

Binford was selected by the Utah Starzz in the fourth round, with the 31st overall pick, of the 1998 WNBA draft.[2] She played in 22 games during her rookie WNBA season in 1998 and averaged 2.1 points per game as the team's third-string point guard.[2][17] She made $19,000 during the 1998 season.[17] Binford appeared in seven games for the Starzz in 1999 and averaged 0.3 points per game.[2] She was waived by the Starzz on July 5, 1999, after a midseason coaching change.[18][19]

On July 23, 1999, Binford was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Rockers to bolster the team's depth at point guard after Suzie McConnell-Serio suffered an injury.[20] Binford appeared in nine games for the Rockers in 1999, averaging 0.6 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game.[2] She played in 25 games during the 2000 season and averaged 1.9 points per game as the third-string point guard behind backup Helen Darling and starter McConnell-Serio.[2][21] Binford also appeared in five playoff games in 2000, averaging 1.6 points per game, as the Rockers advanced to the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals.[2][22] She played in 19 games in 2001 as the third-string point guard behind Jennifer Rizzotti and starter Helen Darling, averaging 1.1 points per game.[2][23] Binford also played in one playoff game that season, totaling zero points and one rebound in four minutes.[2] She was the third-string point guard again in 2002, this time behind Brandi McCain and starter Jennifer Rizzotti.[24][25] Binford appeared in 18 games during her final WNBA season and averaged 0.8 points per game.[2]

Coaching career

Binford was an assistant coach at Boise State from 1999 to 2001 during her time in the WNBA as the WNBA and college seasons did not overlap.[3][26][27] She left Boise State in March 2001 to focus on her WNBA career,[26] but in March 2002, it was reported that Binford—who was still in the WNBA—had applied for Boise State's vacant head coaching position.[27] She was not hired. On April 22, 2003, she was hired as an assistant coach for the Utah State Aggies women's basketball team and served in that role during the 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons.[28][3] Her coaching duties with the Aggies included recruiting, defense, and guards.[3]

On April 13, 2005, Binford was hired as the head coach of the Montana State Bobcats women's basketball team.[3] She led the Bobcats to the Big Sky regular season title in 2015–16, 2016–17, 2019–20, and 2022–23.[29] The Bobcats also won the Big Sky tournament title in 2016–17 and 2021–22.[29] In 2019–20, the Bobcats won a Big Sky–record 19 conference games and advanced to the championship game of the 2020 Big Sky Conference women's basketball tournament, but the game was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] They earned a spot in the NCAA tournament in 2016–17 and 2021–22 as well.[29] Binford was named the Big Sky women's basketball coach of the year in 2015–16 and 2019–20[30] and co-coach of the year in 2020–21 (shared with Seton Sobolewski)[31] and 2022–23, sharing the honor with Mark Campbell and Loree Payne.[30] As of the 2023–24 season, she is the winningest basketball coach in school history for both men and women, having compiled a record of 329 wins and 249 losses in 19 seasons.[3][29] Her 207 conference wins are also the second-most in Big Sky basketball history for both men and women, behind Robin Selvig.[3][b]

Personal life

Binford met her husband Todd Binford while she was an assistant coach at Boise State.[4] They have two children.[4]

Career playing statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

WNBA

Source[34]

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
1998 Utah 22 0 9.4 .302 .370 .500 .5 .9 .6 .0 1.2 2.1
1999 Utah 7 0 4.9 .000 .000 1.000 .3 .1 .4 .1 .6 .3
1999 Cleveland 9 0 8.0 .154 .125 – 1.2 1.2 .3 .0 .3 .6
2000 Cleveland 25 0 8.0 .354 .333 .833 .4 .8 .7 .0 .7 1.9
2001 Cleveland 19 0 6.0 .400 .385 – .6 .6 .3 .0 .4 1.1
2002 Cleveland 18 0 7.3 .154 .071 .833 .4 .8 .3 .1 .4 .8
Career 5 years, 2 teams 100 0 7.6 .288 .284 .727 .5 .8 .5 .7 .0 1.4

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2000 Cleveland 5 0 7.2 .333 .667 .000 .2 .2 .4 .0 .2 1.6
2001 Cleveland 1 0 4.0 .000 .000 – 1.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Career 2 years, 1 team 6 0 6.7 .273 .400 .000 .3 .2 .3 .0 .2 1.3

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Montana State Bobcats (Big Sky) (2005–present)
2005–06 Montana State 3–23 2–12 8th
2006–07 Montana State 13–16 8–8 T-5th
2007–08 Montana State 18–13 11–5 T-3rd
2008–09 Montana State 15–15 8–8 3rd
2009–10 Montana State 18–14 9–7 T-5th
2010–11 Montana State 17–14 11–5 3rd
2011–12 Montana State 19–11 10–6 T-3rd
2012–13 Montana State 17–13 11–9 6th
2013–14 Montana State 15–15 10–10 T-6th
2014–15 Montana State 15–15 9–9 T-5th
2015–16 Montana State 21–10 14–4 1st WNIT First Round
2016–17 Montana State 25–7 15–3 T-1st NCAA First Round
2017–18 Montana State 16–15 9–9 T-7th
2018–19 Montana State 16–15 11–9 5th
2019–20 Montana State 25–6 19–1 1st
2020–21 Montana State 17–7 13–3 3rd
2021–22 Montana State 22–13 14–6 T-2nd NCAA First Round
2022–23 Montana State 20–11 13–5 T-1st
2023–24 Montana State 17–16 10–8 T-4th
Total: 329–249 (.569)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Sources:[29]

Notes

  1. ^ Some sources state she was born in Boise, Idaho.[2][5][6]
  2. ^ The winningest men's basketball coach in Big Sky history, Randy Rahe, had 198 conference wins.[32][33]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Tricia Binford". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Tricia Bader Binford". Basketball Reference. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Tricia Binford". Montana State University. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Schulz, Tom (April 25, 2011). "Family matters". Montana State University. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "2001 Fleer Tradition WNBA #33 Tricia Bader Binford". Trading Card Database. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  6. ^ "2000 SkyBox Dominion WNBA #60 Tricia Bader Binford". Trading Card Database. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d "Tricia Bader-Binford". Colorado High School Activities Association. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Anderson, Jeff (July 22, 1993). "BSU's Bader playing hoops". The Idaho Statesman. pp. 1B, 3B. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  9. ^ Carney, Josh (January 23, 2018). "Roaring Fork's Tricia Bader heads to CHSAA Hall of Fame". Glenwood Springs Post Independent. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  10. ^ Espinoza, Johnna (November 15, 2001). "Honoring BSU's best". The Idaho Statesman. pp. Sports 1, Sports 3. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  11. ^ a b c d "Tricia Bader". Boise State University. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d e "Tricia Bader". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  13. ^ Paull, Becky (December 1, 1994). "BSU begins life without Bader". The Idaho Statesman. pp. 1C. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  14. ^ "Lady Griz Rewind : 1993-94". University of Montana. April 10, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  15. ^ Vidakovich, Mike (January 14, 2015). "A life of hoops for former star Rams player". Glenwood Springs Post Independent. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Women Basketball Pioneers". LuckyShow.org. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Clouse, Thomas (June 30, 1998). "Seeing Starzz". The Idaho Statesman. pp. 1C, 3C. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  18. ^ Glaros, Denise (July 29, 1999). "Rockers' Bader takes star's words to heart". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. p. 3-D. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  19. ^ Prater, Mike (July 23, 1999). "Bader rockin' in WNBA again". The Idaho Statesman. pp. 1C, 5C. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  20. ^ Glaros, Denise (July 25, 1999). "Rockers can't catch Starzz: Cleveland falls again as Utah pulls away to take 76–70 victory". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. p. 14-C. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  21. ^ Dolgan, Bob (June 16, 2000). "Rockers don't surprise Lieberman-Cline". The Plain Dealer. pp. 3D. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  22. ^ "2000 Cleveland Rockers Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  23. ^ Peticca, Mike (August 4, 2001). "Rockers seek to put Liberty farther back". The Plain Dealer. pp. D1, D6. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  24. ^ Windhorst, Brian (April 30, 2002). "Last season's end has Rockers ready". The Akron Beacon Journal. pp. C6. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  25. ^ "Starzz Report". The Salt Lake Tribune. July 1, 2002. pp. B8. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  26. ^ a b "Bader Binford leaves BSU staff". The Idaho Statesman. March 24, 2001. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  27. ^ a b Jezierny, Nick (March 22, 2002). "Coach BSU, play in WNBA — no problem". The Idaho Statesman. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  28. ^ "Tricia Bader-Binford Hired As Assistant Women's Basketball Coach". Utah State University. April 22, 2003. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  29. ^ a b c d e "Tricia Binford". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  30. ^ a b Flores, Victor (March 2, 2023). "Montana State's Tricia Binford shares coach of year honors, All-Big Sky women's teams unveiled". KULR-TV. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  31. ^ "Sobolewski, Binford Named #BigSkyWBB Co-Coach of the Year". Big Sky Conference. March 18, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  32. ^ "Men's Big Sky Conference Coaches". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  33. ^ "Randy Rahe". Weber State University. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  34. ^ "Tricia Bader Binford WNBA Stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 2, 2025.