CCU Notebook: Former standout player returns as women’s hoops assistant

Coastal Carolina women’s head basketball coach Jaida Williams has hired one of her former standout players as an assistant coach.

A.J. Jordan is returning to the Conway campus, where she played four seasons from 2011-15, amassing the most games played in program history (118) and 1,441 points to rank sixth all-time.

Jordan also finished among the program’s top 10 in scoring average (eighth), field goals made (third), field goals attempted (third), free throws made (eighth) and free throw percentage (sixth).

She spent last season as a women’s basketball assistant at Pensacola State College junior college in Florida, which went 18-10 overall and featured All-Panhandle Conference selections Nia Johnson and Ahyiona Vason. After graduating from Coastal, Jordan was an assistant at Virginia Wesleyan for the 2015-16 season.

“I have no doubt her tireless work ethic, ability to connect with our student-athletes, knowledge of the game and fierce loyalty will help lift our program to new heights,” Williams said in a university press release. “It is always great to welcome back someone familiar with the program, and when searching for a new coach, A.J. was a no-brainer.”

As a senior, Jordan led the Big South Conference with 16.9 points per game while making a league-high 207 shots from the field, and set the HTC Center’s women’s basketball scoring record with 36 points against Presbyterian.

Jordan was twice voted first team All-Big South, and was a three-time member of the Big South All-Academic Team.

Soccer signs Mondi

Midfielder Tyrone Mondi will transfer to Coastal Carolina from the University of Northwestern Ohio and is the final piece of what men’s soccer coach Shaun Docking calls one of the top recruiting classes in the history of the program.

The Bloemfontein, South Africa native participated in the U-20 South African National Team Training Camp, and this summer he has played for Detroit City FC in the National Premier Soccer League.

Mondi was a redshirt last season and will have four years of eligibility remaining with the Chanticleers, who report to training camp on Aug. 8 and are looking to repeat as Sun Belt Conference champions.

CCU will begin the season with an exhibition match at North Carolina on Aug. 13 and open the regular season on Aug. 25 at George Mason. It’s first home match is at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 1 against UNC Greensboro.

Chants go global

Assistant CCU volleyball coach Simone Asque and recent graduate Tahleia Bishop are set to join the Jamaican National Volleyball Team in the upcoming Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Championship (CAZOVA) from July 23-31 in Kingston, Jamaica.

CAZOVA serves as the first round of qualifying for the 2018 International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Women’s World Championship.

Both Asque and Bishop have previously played for Jamaica. The pair helped their country to a bronze medal victory over the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2014 World Championship qualifying and a gold medal at the 2016 Venus International Invitational, and Asque serves as the team’s captain.

This story was originally published July 19, 2017 at 6:16 PM with the headline "CCU Notebook: Former standout player returns as women’s hoops assistant."