(October 8, 2004) - Fordham Women??s Basketball Coach Jim Lewis announced today the hiring of former Duke star Kira Orr as an assistant coach and former St. Peter's standout Courtney Wicks as Director of Women's Basketball Operations, as well as the move of Beth Ann Dickinson to an assistant coaching position. The trio joins Fifth-Year Head Coach Jim Lewis and Third-Year Assistant Coach Jeff Osterman on the Fordham Women's Basketball Coaching Staff.
Orr, one of two Fordham staff members who have played professionally in the U.S., comes to Fordham after spending the past five years at The Bullis School in Potomac, MD, serving the school in a variety of fashions. She served as the Assistant Athletic Director, a Physical Education teacher, Head varsity girls?? softball coach, and assistant varsity girls?? basketball coach for The Bullis School since the Fall of 1999 through 2003.
In 2003, she took over as Head Coach of the varsity girls?? basketball team at Bullis. Orr guided the team to a 26-3 record, winning both the regular season and tournament championships of the Independent School League AA.
Before working at the Bullis School, Orr had an outstanding playing career at Duke University, where she was a three-year starter for the Blue Devils. An All-ACC selection in the 1996-97 season, she was named to the ACC All-Tournament team three times (1995-97), and ranks among the Duke career leaders in scoring (7th), assists (3rd), steals (6th), and three point field goals (4th). Among the accomplishments that Orr still holds at Duke is the single season mark for assists with 170 in the 1995-96 season. While at Duke, Orr was also a player for USA Basketball, as she was a U.S. Olympic Festival participant in 1994 and 1995, where she garnered two gold medals. She was also a member of the 1997 USA R. William Jones Cup Team, that won a silver medal.
Following her career at Duke, she was drafted by the Seattle Reign of the ABL, becoming the first Duke player to be drafted by a professional league.
Orr, a 1997 graduate of Duke, has a bachelor??s degree in Sociology, while having a Marketing and Management Certificate.
Wicks, who has also played professionally in the U.S., comes to Fordham after spending the past year as the Deputy Field Director for Menendez For Congress, Inc. While there, she assisted in the implementation of daily field programs and coordinating strategies for providing information to voters about New Jersey Representative Robert Menendez.
Prior to that, Wicks worked for two years as director of operations at Paradise Services, a real estate agency based in Jersey City, NJ. Among her duties, she researched and analyzed real estate properties, while providing investment consultation.
Besides working for Paradise Services, Wicks had previously worked at CBS Sports as a Score Input Administrator, where she collected sports data, did analyst work, and reported to producers and commentators.
As a player, Wicks played at St. Peter??s College, where she was team captain and a Second Team All-MAAC selection as a senior after leading the team in scoring at 14.6 points per game, while adding 4.6 rebounds per game. As a junior, she averaged better than 10 points per game, and helped St. Peter??s to an NCAA Tournament berth, where she scored 18 points in a first round loss to Mississippi State.
Following her collegiate career, she was drafted by the Chicago Blaze of the NWBL, and played briefly in that league.
Wicks, a 2001 graduate of St. Peter??s, has a bachelor??s degree in Business Administration.
Dickinson, who briefly served as Director of Women's Basketball Operations, takes over as the third assistant coach on the staff. She just finished playing two seasons for the Rams, earning Academic All-Atlantic 10 honors this past season. She was the first Fordham women??s basketball player to earn Academic All-Conference honors, since Fordham joined the Atlantic 10 in 1995-96 season.
As a Ram, she scored 677 points, averaging better than 11 points per game in her two seasons after transferring from St. Peter??s College. This past year, Dickinson set a career-high, averaging 12.8 points a game, while also recording her 1,000th collegiate point. She also shot 89% from the free throw line, which was the second-best single season mark for a Ram, behind only Jeanine Radice??s 90% mark in the 1988-89 season.
Dickinson graduated this past May from Fordham with a degree in Finance and Marketing.
Founded in 1841, Fordham is New York City's Jesuit University. With 22 men's and women's varsity sports teams, the Fordham Rams are members of the NCAA Division I and compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference in baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, indoor and outdoor track, women's rowing, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis and volleyball and in the Patriot League (NCAA I-AA) for football.
TRANSACTIONS: Fordham names Kira Orr and Beth Ann Dickinson as women's basketball assistant coaches and Courtney Wicks as Director of Women's Basketball Operations.
