WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Mark Sanford has stepped down as head coach of the Northwood University (Fla.) women's basketball team, effective immediately. Sanford will be leaving Northwood to assume the role of Assistant Video Coordinator for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies.
In two seasons as head coach of Women's Basketball, Sanford guided the Lady Seahawks to 25-36 record overall, and a 15-13 record in The Sun Conference. Northwood made back-to-back appearances in the Sun Conference tournament, advancing to the Semi-Finals both seasons.
"This was one of the hardest decisions I had to make in my life," said Sanford. "I wrestled with the idea for some time. Northwood didn't just change my career, it changed my life. My time there helped me fill so many vacancies I had in my life that needed to be filled. The opportunity to work with Coach Massimino, someone I love and adore who brought me on as a volunteer, and we took the program to heights where he named me Head Women's Basketball Coach. Hopefully, I left the program in better shape than when I had started."
In his new role with the Grizzlies, Sanford will assist with Memphis' video operations, including cutting up game and practice films.
"This is the perfect way for me to get into the professional ranks," stated Sanford. "I started at Northwood with a specific role and that morphed into something else because I'm not afraid to learn. I'm strong in my opinions and beliefs, but I'm also willing to listen and learn. This will help me re-learn [the NBA] with cutting up video every day, where I can gain valuable knowledge on the current systems used in the league."
"The decision was so tough because the players I brought in were the perfect team I wanted to coach and implement my system and see how it works," continued Sanford. "They embodied everything that would make it successful. I spent more time at Northwood than I did at the University of Washington, so now I feel like I don't just bleed purple and gold, but also blue and white."
NORTHWOOD BASKETBALL
