Jeff Walz Adds Michelle Clark-Heard to Staff
April 13, 2007 | Women's Basketball
April 13, 2007
Louisville, Ky. - Michelle Clark-Heard, the head coach at Kentucky State the past two seasons, has joined the University of Louisville women's basketball staff head coach Jeff Walz announced today. Clark-Heard took a Kentucky State team that had won only one game before she arrived to a 19-win season in just two years. She rejoins Walz after coaching with him for four seasons on the Nebraska bench under former head coach Paul Sanderford.
"I am very excited to be working with Michelle again," said Walz. "We were able to work together for four years at Nebraska. She is a tireless worker and has had great success everywhere she has been. After the success that she has had at Kentucky State, I am honored that she would join my staff here at Louisville. I am thrilled to have a hometown coach on my staff. She has a great relationship with Kentucky and Ohio coaches that will help us in our recruiting efforts."
Clark-Heard became the head coach at Kentucky State University in June of 2005. She took over a program that had won just one game during the 2004-05 season. In her first season she led the Thorobrettes to a 5-23 record, four of the wins were against SIAC opponents. Her team was picked to finish 11th in the SIAC but ended the season in ninth place. This season she guided the Thorobrettes to an impressive 19-9 record, finishing tied for fourth place in the SIAC.
Prior to taking the head coaching position at Kentucky State, Clark-Heard spent three seasons at Cincinnati as an assistant coach. The Bearcats advanced to postseason play in two of her three seasons at Cincinnati.
Prior to her coaching at the University of Cincinnati she spent four seasons at the University of Nebraska were they advanced to two NCAA Tournaments. She also was responsible helping sign McDonald's All-American Janice Bright for the Cornhuskers in 2001.
Upon graduation from Western Kentucky, she spent eight years working within recreational setting, five in Bowling Green and three with the Louisville Metro Parks Department. While in Louisville, she also served as head junior varsity coach and assistant varsity coach at DuPont Manuel High School for the 1994-95 seasons and played professionally with the Kentucky Marauders of the Women's Basketball Association in 1994-95.
Clark-Heard played for Paul Sanderford at Western Kentucky University. During her four year tenure, the 6'2 center helped WKU make four straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament and win two Sun Belt Conference titles. She finished her career as the school's 10th all-time leading rebounder.
The Louisville native earned Kentucky High School State Player of the Year honors in 1986 while playing at Atherton High School. She was inducted into the Atherton Hall of Fame in 2003.
She was married to Luther Heard on August 16, 2003.
