Tricia Bader Binford

Tricia Lynne Bader Binford ( Bader; born February 26, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player. A guard, she played for the Utah Starzz and Cleveland Rockers of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is currently the head coach of the Montana State Bobcats. She played college basketball for the Boise State Broncos as a four-year starter at point guard, earning All-Big Sky Conference honors three times and setting the school's career assists record. She then played two seasons of professional basketball in Australia before being selected by the Utah Starzz in the fourth round of the 1998 WNBA draft. She played for the Starzz from 1998 to 1999 and for the Cleveland Rockers from 1999 to 2002. Following her playing career, she served as an assistant coach at Boise State and for the Utah State Aggies. She became the head coach of the Montana State Bobcats in 2005 and is the winningest coach in team history. Binford is also a five-time Big Sky women's basketball coach of the year.

Early life Tricia Lynne Bader was born on February 26, 1973, in Decatur, Illinois, and raised in Carbondale, Colorado. She attended Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale, participating in basketball, volleyball, and track. She earned All-State honors three times in basketball and led the team to the 1989, 1990 and 1991 state basketball championships. Binford was named the Colorado Player of the Year and a Street and Smith's All-American her senior year in 1991.

Binford also won five state titles in track.

College career Binford received offers from several in-state schools to play college basketball but instead decided to enroll at Boise State University. She played for the Boise State Broncos as a point guard from 1991 to 1996, and was a four-year starter. She appeared in 27 games during the 1992–93 season, averaging 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, a conference-leading 4.7 assists, and 2.3 steals, earning All-Big Sky Conference honors. She played in 27 games her senior year in 1995–96, averaging 11.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.1 steals per game, earning All-Big Sky accolades for the third straight season. Binford was also a four-time Big Sky All-Academic selection in 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1996. Binford was inducted into the Boise State Hall of Fame in 2001. She had a quadruple-double in a 1997 NWBU game, recording 67 points, 14 assists, 10 rebounds, and 10 steals. Her 67 points also set the league's single-game scoring record.

Binford was selected by the Utah Starzz in the fourth round, with the 31st overall pick, of the 1998 WNBA draft. She made $19,000 during the 1998 season.

On July 23, 1999, Binford was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Rockers to bolster the team's depth at point guard after Suzie McConnell-Serio suffered an injury. Binford appeared in nine games for the Rockers in 1999, averaging 0.6 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. Binford also appeared in five playoff games in 2000, averaging 1.6 points per game, as the Rockers advanced to the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals. She played in 19 games in 2001 as the third-string point guard behind Jennifer Rizzotti and starter Helen Darling, averaging 1.1 points per game. Binford also played in one playoff game that season, totaling zero points and one rebound in four minutes. Binford appeared in 18 games during her final WNBA season and averaged 0.8 points per game. She was not hired. On April 22, 2003, she was hired as an assistant coach for the Utah State Aggies women's basketball team and served in that role during the 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons. and co-coach of the year in 2020–21 (shared with Seton Sobolewski) and 2022–23 (shared with Mark Campbell and Loree Payne). Her 224 conference wins are also the second-most in Big Sky basketball history for both men and women, behind Robin Selvig.

Personal life Binford met her husband Todd Binford while she was an assistant coach at Boise State.

Regular season

Playoffs

Head coaching record

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