Christelle N’Garsanet ws named Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator of FIU women's basketball on Sept. 15, 2021.
N'Garsanet lands at FIU after spending the past eight seasons as an assistant coach for the Southern Illinois women’s basketball team.
During the 2019-20 season, SIU posted its sixth-straight winning record and defeated a ranked opponent (Missouri State) for the first time since 1991. The Salukis finished with an RPI of 105, marking their highest since 2007. SIU’s four top-100 wins during the 2019-20 season were its most since at least 2002. The Salukis also repeated as Compass Challenge Champions and Nicole Martin and Makenzie Silvey were both selected to the All-MVC honorable mention team while Brittney Patrick earned her first career All-Defensive Team honor.
The 2018-19 season was yet another winning season for SIU as the Salukis posted a winning record in non-conference play for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Among that included SIU’s first mid-season tournament title since the 1986-87 season. The Salukis earned the No. 11 ranking in the WBCA’s Academic Top-25 Honor Roll, which was the highest finish in program history. It was the second time in the last three seasons in which SIU had earned inclusion on the list.
The 2017-18 season marked the fourth-straight winning season for the Salukis as SIU once again earned the No. 4 seed in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament and advanced to the semifinal game for the second time in three years.
The Salukis continued to excel in the classroom in 2017-18 under the influence of N'Garsanet. SIU posted a 3.34 grade point average and tied a program record with four recipients of the MVC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence award, given to student-athletes who post at least a 3.5 GPA for consecutive terms.
N’Garsanet was promoted to Associate Head Coach prior to the 2016-17 season. SIU reached the postseason for the second-straight season and got it done in the classroom, as the Salukis earned inclusion in the WBCA’s Top-25 Academic Honor Roll at No. 22 with a 3.51 Team GPA.
N’Garsanet followed SIU head coach Cindy Stein to Carbondale after serving as her assistant coh at Illinois Central College during the 2012-13 season. N’Garsanet was also an All-Conference player under Stein at Missouri before being selected in the 2006 WNBA Draft.
N’Garsanet spent two seasons on the coaching staff at ICC, including a 2012-13 season during which the Cougars went 32-4 and finished third in the NJCAA Division II national tournament.
Prior to her time at ICC, N’Garsanet spent two years working as an audit associate at KPMG in St. Louis following a two-year professional playing career. N’Garsanet played for the WNBA’s New York Liberty during the 2006-07 season before spending one season playing in Poland. She also played for the Ivory Coast national team in 2000, 2001, 2009 and 2011.
N’Garsanet played three seasons collegiately at Mizzou after transferring from ICC. She led the Tigers in rebounding and ranked second on the team in scoring during her junior and senior seasons, finishing with 870 points and 255 rebounds during her three years in Columbia, Mo. N’Garsanet was named Second-Team All-Big 12 during her senior season.
N’Garsanet’s lone season playing at ICC was a memorable one as she helped the Cougars to the 2003 NJCAA Division II national championship. That season also coincided with the final season of legendary coach Lorene Ramsey, who also coached Stein at ICC.
A two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection, N’Garsanet has both a master’s and bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Mizzou.
