Women's Basketball

When Kean University sought to revive the fortunes of its flagging women's basketball program, former Associate Director of Athletics Patricia Hannisch knew exactly where to turn. She handed the reins to Michele Sharp, a proven winner at several collegiate programs, and asked her to rebuild the program, restoring it to the elite level it had reached in the 1980s.

Upon her arrival on campus, Sharp knew that a major rebuilding was necessary, and to do that, the entire culture of the program would need to be changed. She hit the recruiting trail hard those first two years, landing three future first-team all-conference performers in Jaquanna Abdullah, Kellie Rice, and Shervon James, who would become the foundation of her program and form the nucleus of the 2001-2002 NJAC championship team. The conference took notice, naming Sharp the NJAC Coach of the Year in 2001-2002 and again in 2002-2003. With Kean women's basketball back on the scene, Sharp was then able to land consecutive NJAC Rookies of the Year in Chari' Cooper and Melissa Beyruti. This past season this new nucleus of talent added another banner to the Cougars' conference record of 11 championships as Kean rallied in the finals, picking up the 2006-07 NJAC crown with a three-point buzzer beater.  With the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III tournament, Kean rolled off three straight wins to advance to the Elite 8 before falling to host New York University.

With two conference championships under her belt, Sharp has compiled a 133-107 overall record.  A testament to her stellar recruiting, three of Sharp's players at Kean have earned Kodak/WBCA All-American honors, and two have played professionally overseas.

Sharp's rebuilding effort at Kean did not surprise anyone, as she had performed similar feats at her two previous stops. In just four short years at Norwich University in Vermont, Sharp led the Cadets to a 59-40 overall record, including a 22-2 mark in 1990-1991. She then took on another rebuilding project at Manhattan College in 1991. In her fourth year at Manhattan, Sharp led the Jaspers to a 19-11 overall record, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship, and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where they would face a perennial national power in the University of Virginia.

Sharp's career prior to Norwich consisted of assistant coaching stops at Cabrini College and Philadelphia University, a head-coaching job at Cecilian Academy High School in Philadelphia and a one-year stint as the head coach at Swarthmore College. As head coach of the AAU Philadelphia Shooting Stars, Sharp captured the National Amateur Athletic Union Championship in 1988.

Sharp earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education from West Chester University in 1984 and a master's degree in Educational Administration from Villanova University in 1990. She resides in Union, N.J., with her two sons, Mike McGee and Brian Lytle.

Tim Gardner is the Recreation, Intramural and Events Manager for the Kean University Department of Athletics, as well as the lead assistant for the women's basketball team under head coach Michele Sharp.

Gardner arrived at Kean as an assistant to Sharp in August 2005 after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant coach for the women's basketball programs at Regis College in Weston, Mass. and Montclair State University. At Kean, Gardner serves as Sharp's recruiting coordinator, maintaining the team's database of prospective student-athletes, as well as managing their campus visits and communications between them and the women's basketball program.

As the Recreation, Intramural and Events Manager, Gardner oversees daytime supervision of Kean's recreation and intramural sports programs, as well as student workers. In addition, Gardner provides color commentary and analysis for Kean men's basketball games on KU3, the Kean University televison station.

Gardner earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Maryland in 2003, where he also served as a practice player for the nationally ranked Terrapins' women's basketball team.

Starr Fuller enters her first season as an assistant for the women's basketball team.

Fuller, who for the past two seasons was a girls head basketball coach in Boston, Massachusetts, returns to the New Jersey area.  Fuller competed as a Pirate for Seton Hall University between 1998 and 2002 where she still holds records to date.  After finishing with 536 rebounds, she ranks 20^th all-time while her 197 free-throws made ranks 18^th and free-throws attempted (290) ranks 17^th.  All-in-all, she finished with 761 points to go along with 40 blocks and 131 steals.

She graduated from Seton Hall University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree in communications.

Keith Jefferson enters his first season as an assistant on the Cougar sidelines.

Jefferson has coached for several years in the high school and AAU venues after finishing his playing career at Penn State University.  While not on the playing court, Jefferson is the current founder and  trainer of Blueprint Basketball Training.  He also works full-time as an instructor of special needs children in the Roselle school district.

Jefferson graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation and Park Management from Penn State in 2001.

Justin Phoenix joins the KU sidelines for his first season in 2008-09. 

His playing experience started in 1992 for Manhattan College where he played for four seasons.  In his four-year career as a Jasper, he competed in the NCAA Tournament twice (1992-93, 1994-95) after winning the MAAC Championship in 1993 and also made a trip to the NIT Tournament in 1993-94.

After finishing his collegiate career, Phoenix spent several seasons abroad playing in several club teams in Europe from 1996 to 2006.  More recently he switched from playing to coaching at several camps and clinics with a stint at Burlington County College as a men's assistant coach a year ago.

Phoenix earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Manhattan College in 1996.