Marty Gordon
Virginia Tech’s new women’s basketball coach, Megan Duffy, continues to add to her staff with two talented assistants.
Itoro Coleman was announced as the associate head coach of the program, while Sharnee Zoll-Norman is a new assistant coach.
Coleman, a veteran of the Atlantic Coast Conference, has coached at North Carolina since May 2021 and as a player at Clemson, Coleman was a three-time All-ACC selection and earned All-America honorable mention accolades. A member of the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame, she led the Tigers to the 1999 ACC title and was named tournament MVP.
She will be responsible for recruiting, scouting, game planning, guard and post player development, and various external operations projects associated with Coach Duffy.
“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Itoro Coleman to Virginia Tech,” Duffy said. “She will bring an incredible amount of experience both on and off the court to our program. Itoro is an elite level recruiter and teacher. Our student-athletes are going to thrive under her leadership. She brings great experience and knowledge of the ACC landscape to help continue our winning tradition.”
In her three seasons in Chapel Hill, Coleman helped the Tar Heels to three NCAA appearances, including a Sweet Sixteen run in 2021-22. With Coleman on the sidelines, UNC went 67-31 (.683) and had a 35-19 (.648) record in ACC play.
Coleman has consistently helped her program recruit at a high level, assisting the Tar Heels in inking the No. 18 signing class for the 2024 class. Carolina has regularly had athletes earn All-ACC and national recognition for their play.
Prior to her time at UNC, Coleman spent one season at Marquette with Coach Duffy in 2020-21. That year, the Golden Eagles finished second in the BIG EAST and concluded the season with a 19-7 record.
She also has served as an assistant coach at Penn State, Butler and Liberty, and coached at her alma mater, Clemson as both an assistant and head coach.
Coleman enjoyed a long professional career and played in the WNBA for the Indiana Fever and the Houston Comets. She was a member of Team USA in the Pan American Games and at the FIBA World Championships. Coleman played for the Nigerian National Team in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and was captain of that team that gave Nigeria its first-ever Olympic victory.
She graduated from Clemson in 2000 with a degree in communications with her named etched in the Clemson record books with top-10 marks in scoring (1,409 points), assists (459) and steals (265). In 2008 Coleman was inducted into the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame.
Zoll-Norman comes to Blacksburg after spending two seasons at State College on the Penn State staff. A veteran of the professional ranks, Zoll-Norman was drafted in the WNBA where she played for three seasons before continuing her pro career overseas.
“I am thrilled to welcome Sharnee and her family to Hokie Nation,” Duffy said Thursday. “She is a rising star in our profession. Sharnee will bring an incredible amount of knowledge to our players from her time in the WNBA and overseas. She will be a great mentor for our student-athletes. Sharnee has an energy about herself that will shine on the court, on the recruiting trail and in the Blacksburg community.”
Working with the Lady Lions’ backcourt, Zoll-Norman helped Makenna Marisa, Leilani Kapinus and Shay Ciezki rack up several accolades. Marisa repeated as Academic All-American Third Team and All-Big Ten First Team selections, becoming the third Lady Lion to earn Academic All-America distinction for two or more seasons and 12th to repeat as a first team selection in the league.
Kapinus was named an All-Big Ten Defensive Team selection and the only B1G player to be selected to the Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Watch List, Kapinus finished eighth in the nation in steals (97) and was one of two players in the nation to be averaging at least 10 points, five rebounds, three steals and one block per game.
Ciezki was just one of two freshmen in the nation to average at least 2.0 three’s per game with a 40.0 or better three-point percentage and finished second on the team in scoring (11.8 points per game).
“I have always dreamed of being back in the ACC competing against the best of the best,” Zoll-Norman said. “I am beyond grateful to Virginia Tech Athletics and to Coach Duffy for allowing that dream to come to fruition. Coach Duffy is a proven winner, phenomenal leader, and an amazing human. My family and I are excited for the opportunity to be a part of the winning tradition with Hokie Nation.”
Before Penn State, Zoll-Norman spent three years as an assistant coach at Rhode Island. Over her three seasons, Rhode Island had eight All-Atlantic 10 selections, including three first team honorees.
She served on the Rams’ staff after concluding a 14-year professional career, including three seasons in the WNBA.
Prior to Rhode Island, Zoll-Norman spent two seasons as an assistant with the Philadelphia Belles AAU program, helping the team with scouting reports, practice plans, player development and recruiting.
Zoll-Norman was the 29th overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. She also spent time with the Minnesota Lynx.
She most recently played with InvestInTheWest AZS Gorzow in Poland. She led the team to a Top 16 finish in the EuroCup and second in the Polish League. She was the 2018 EuroCup Guard of the Year and was a five-time Eurobasket All-Polish First Team honoree. In 2017, she led the team to its first Polish League Championship in 30 years and was named both regular season and postseason MVP.
Zoll-Norman graduated from Virginia in 2008. As a Cavalier, Zoll-Norman was a 1,000-point scorer and started every game of her career. She’s the only woman in ACC history to record at least 200 assists in three straight seasons and broke Virginia and ACC record with 785 assists, both previously held by Dawn Staley. She won a gold medal as a member of the Team USA U19 team in 2005.
