Trisha Stafford

Trisha Stafford-Odom ( Stafford; born November 11, 1970) is an American basketball coach and former player. She is the head coach for the Charlotte Crown of the UpShot League. She played college basketball for the California Golden Bears from 1988 to 1992 and was a two-time first-team All-Pac-10 Conference selection. Stafford-Odom played professionally in the American Basketball League (ABL) from 1996 to 1998 for the San Jose Lasers and Long Beach Stingrays, in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 2001 to 2002 for the Houston Comets and Miami Sol, and in the National Women's Basketball League (NWBL) from 2002 to 2003 for the Houston Stealth and Tennessee Fury. As part of the United States women's national basketball team, she won bronze medals at the 1991 R. William Jones Cup and the 1993 Summer Universiade.

Stafford-Odom began her coaching career as the head girls' basketball coach at her alma mater, Westchester High School, from 2002 to 2005. From 2005 to 2013, she was an assistant coach for the UCLA Bruins, Duke Blue Devils, and North Carolina Tar Heels. She was the head women's basketball coach for the Concordia Eagles from 2013 to 2016 and was named the Great Southwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year for the 2014–15 season. She then served as the head coach of the North Carolina Central Eagles from 2017 to 2023.

Early life Trisha Stafford was born on November 11, 1970, in Ladera Heights, California. She attended Westchester High School in Los Angeles, California. Stafford-Odom played in 29 games during the 1989–90 season, averaging 7.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.0 steals. She appeared in 19 games her senior year in 1991–92, averaging 22.3 points per game, 8.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, garnering Kodak honorable mention All-American, Basketball Times honorable mention All-American, Women's Basketball News Service second-team All-American, and first-team All-Pac-10 recognition.

Professional career After her college career, Stafford-Odom began her pro career by playing overseas, with stops in Italy, Spain, Israel, and Brazil. She then played in the 1996 Say No Classic summer league. Stafford-Odom signed with the San Jose Lasers of the ABL in September 1996. She played in 37 games, starting 18, for the Lasers during the 1996–97 season, averaging 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.9 steals. In April 1997, she was among the first five players assigned to the expansion Long Beach Stingrays of the ABL. She appeared in 43 games, no starts, for the Stingrays in 1997–98, averaging 6.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.0 assists. In May 1998, Stafford-Odom was selected by the New England Blizzard in the second round, with the 19th overall pick, of the 1998 ABL draft. However, in July 1998, she rejected her contract offer from the Blizzard. She was signed by the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) on May 25, 1999. She signed with the Houston Comets of the WNBA on April 30, 2001. She played for the Stealth during the WNBA offseason as the WNBA and NWBL seasons did not overlap. The Stealth finished the 2002 season with a 9–11 record. In the NWBL Pro Cup title game, she scored 15 points in a 68–59 victory over the Chicago Blaze. She was waived by the Houston Comets on May 24, 2002. She was later signed by the Miami Sol of the WNBA on June 18, 2002. The Fury advanced to the Pro Cup title game but lost to Stafford-Odom's former team, the Houston Stealth.

National team career Stafford-Odom was a member of the U.S. junior national team in 1990. Stafford also won bronze at the 1993 Summer Universiade, where she was compared to Charles Barkley for her play as a "scorer, rebounder and part-time enforcer".

Coaching career Stafford-Odom was the head coach at her alma mater Westchester High School for three seasons from 2002 to 2005, helping more than 10 players earn college scholarships. She joined the UCLA Bruins coaching staff in July 2005. The 2010 class included Haley Peters, Chelsea Gray, Tricia Liston, Richa Jackson, and Chloe Wells. The 2013 class included Diamond DeShields, Allisha Gray, Stephanie Mavunga and Jessica Washington. Stafford-Odom was named the GSAC Coach of the Year for 2014–15. After going 2–23 that season, Stafford-Odom stepped down as head coach in order to pursue Division I coaching jobs. They then defeated the North Carolina A&T Aggies in the quarterfinals, advancing to the MEAC semifinals for the first time in program history. Overall, Stafford-Odom served as the Eagles head coach from 2017 to 2023, accumulating an overall record of 55–108. She was released in September 2023.

In October 2025, Stafford-Odom was named the first head coach for the Charlotte Crown of the UpShot League.

Personal life Stafford-Odom married DeWayne Odom in 1999. They have two sons, Amari and Trajen.

Career statistics

WNBA Regular season

Playoffs

College