Debbie Black

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Black is a 1984 graduate of Philadelphia's Archbishop Wood High School. Black played for Jim Foster (basketball) at St. Joseph's University and graduated in 1988. While there she helped lead the Hawks to two Philadelphia Big 5 championships and an Atlantic 10 Conference title. A multi-sport athlete, Black earned 12 varsity letters in basketball, field hockey, and softball.[4]

Black played eight seasons with the Tasmanian Islanders (1989–96) of the WNBL in Australia. She helped the team win national titles in 1991 and 1995 before leaving to go to the ABL.[6]

Black played for the Colorado Xplosion and was also an All-Star selection for the ABL. Black is the only professional female basketball player to have accomplished, and is one of very few basketball players (male or female) ever to accomplish a quadruple double (10 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists, 10 steals); she accomplished this feat against the Atlanta Glory on Dec. 8, 1996. She received Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1997.[6]

Black was drafted 15th overall by the Utah Starzz in 2nd round of the 1999 WNBA draft. She then played for the Miami Sol from 2000 to 2002. While playing for the Sol, she earned the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award at the age of 35. In 2003, Black was acquired by the Connecticut Sun during the dispersal draft. She played for the Sun until her retirement in 2005.[6]

Throughout Black's basketball career, her energy, intensity, and toughness were well-known among her teammates and opponents alike. Her relentless defense earned her the nickname "The Pest."[7] At 5' 2.5", she was the shortest player in the WNBA, just half an inch shorter than Los Angeles Sparks point guard Shannon Bobbitt and just edging out Temeka Johnson. She is a half inch shorter than the shortest NBA player in history, Muggsy Bogues.[8] During 1999 she played on the Utah Starzz with the tallest WNBA player, 7'2" Małgorzata Dydek.

Black entered the coaching ranks as an assistant to her college coach, Jim Foster at Vanderbilt in 1999-2000, with the team advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament. She rejoined Foster at Ohio State in 2005. Her eight seasons there saw the Buckeyes make seven trips to the NCAA Tournament as she worked as a recruiter and specialist in developing guards. Several guards went on to play professionally in the WNBA or overseas.[9] On May 16, 2013, Black was named the head coach of the Eastern Illinois Panthers.[2] On March 7, 2017, Black's contract was not renewed as head coach of EIU.[2] She endured budget cuts and layoffs during her time as coach and the university did not receive state funds for over a year.[10] There were rumors of the school closing, but on June 6, 2016, President David Glassman sent a letter to the campus community stating the school will not close and that further cuts may come.[11] Through all of this she managed to increase the number of wins the team had in her final season. Most recently she was an assistant coach at University of Tennessee Chattanooga.

• Eastern Illinois University (EIU) Women's Basketball
• Ohio State University (OSU) Women's Basketball
• Black's bio on OSU's site
• Retirement announcement
• WNBA chat transcript
• WNBA
• ABL
• Final ABL standings and more ABL information links
• St. Joseph's University Women's Basketball
• Daily Eastern News
• President Glassman