Women's Basketball Adds Adrian Walters to Coaching Staff
5/1/2019 9:10:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Walters spent the previous seven seasons as an assistant coach at Auburn
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Adrian Walters has been named to the Alabama women's basketball staff as an assistant coach, head coach Kristy Curry announced on Wednesday.
"Adrian is someone we have gotten to know and respect during our time in the SEC and we are so excited to welcome he and his family to Alabama," stated Curry. "He brings a wealth of experience in so many areas from player development to scouting, scheduling and recruiting. He is one of the most passionate and gifted teachers I know. He will be a huge impact for our basketball family."
This past year, Walters finished up his seventh season as an assistant coach at Auburn, primarily focusing on player development, post players and scheduling.
In his seven seasons at Auburn, Walters helped the Tigers to three NCAA Tournament appearances and two berths in the WNIT. The 2018-19 season saw the Tigers post their best season in a decade, finishing 22-10 overall and 9-7 in SEC play, earning its third NCAA Tournament bid in four seasons. Auburn set numerous program records in 2018-19, including single-season 3-pointers, single-game 3-pointers, fewest turnovers in a season and SEC road victories.
Year five on The Plains saw Walters help lead the Tigers back to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and finish with a 17-15 overall record. And his sixth season saw the arrival of post player Unique Thompson, who recorded seven double-doubles and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
His fourth season at Auburn in 2015-16 saw Walters help lead the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009. One of Walters' post players, senior Tra'Cee Tanner, was a second-team All-SEC selection and became one of just five players in Auburn history to finish her career with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 100 assists, 100 blocks and 100 steals.
In his first year with the team, every Tiger on the roster saw statistical improvement from the year before. The most improvement was seen by center Peyton Davis, who worked directly with Walters, having scored just 40 points with 57 rebounds in her first two years on the roster, Davis became a staple in the post for the Tigers in the 2012-13 season, starting all 34 games while tallying 208 points and 167 rebounds. Walters also helped guide the Tigers to 19 wins that first season, the most in four years, and an appearance in the Women's NIT quarterfinals. Auburn set a school record with 402 steals during the 2012-13 season while forcing 701 turnovers, a mark that ranks second all-time on The Plains.
Prior to coming to Auburn, Walters spent the 2011-12 season at Georgetown with Williams-Flournoy. In his lone season with the Hoyas, he helped the team to a 23-9 record and a run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Prior to his stint at Georgetown, Walters' career had mainly been in the men's game. He spent three seasons, from 2008-11, as associate head coach at El Camino College in Torrance, Calif., heading up recruiting and player development while coaching the post players.
Walters made the move to El Camino after spending a season as associate head coach at Hampton, coaching the Pirates to an 18-12 record in his lone season. The Hampton job was his return to coaching after working in the financial industry for several years.
His first stint in coaching came right out of college as an assistant coach at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. He spent two seasons as an assistant coach before taking over for a season as head coach. He made the transition to Division I a year later as an assistant coach at Towson, helping the team to a 17-13 record and an East Coast Conference title.
From Towson, Walters made his way to Southern California for four seasons from 1992-96. The Trojans made the NIT in his first two years, including a run to the quarterfinals in his first season. After his stop at USC, Walters spent a season as assistant coach at Central Connecticut State.
Walters graduated with a bachelor's degree in social work from Saint Francis University (Pa.) in 1987. He was a four-year letterwinner for the Red Flash. A native of Washington, D.C, Walters is married to the former Candace Reese, and leads a blended family of four: Elias, Adriana, James and Eon.
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