Jackie Smith Carson's first move as head coach was the hiring ofassistant coach Julia Huddleston in early May, 2010.
Huddleston joined the Paladin staff following seven seasons atVirginia Commonwealth University, where she served as an assistantcoach, coordinated recruiting, and directed guard development,individual workouts, and student-athlete conditioning.
"I'm very pleased to have Julia join our new staff," said Carsonat the time. "She is a young, energetic coach I have competedagainst on the recruiting trail and have the greatest respect foras a professional and as a person. She possesses a tremendousbasketball mind, strong dedication to her task, and a wealth ofexperience and contacts I believe will be tremendous assets to ourprogram."
During her tenure at VCU, Huddleston played a key role in theRams' ascent within the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). In herfirst season in Richmond, VCU posted a 14-14 mark and four yearslater registered a program record 26 wins (26-8) en route to theschool's first-ever postseason appearance and second round finishin the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
The following year (2008-09) the Rams racked up a 26-7 campaign,including a 15-3 CAA slate, and made the school's first-ever NCAATournament appearance via an at-large bid.
In her final year there VCU topped the 20-win mark for a thirdconsecutive season, going 22-13 and advancing into the third roundof the WNIT.
Prior to going to VCU, she worked the 2002-03 season as agraduate assistant coach at Austin Peay State University inClarksville, Tenn., where she was part of a highly successfulwomen's program that went 27-4 and claimed both Ohio Valley regularseason and tournament titles on the way to the NCAA Tournament.
She spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the GeorgiaMetros AAU squad that finished third in the 2002 AAU nationaltournament after a fifth place finish the previous year. Whilethere she helped tutor three AAU All-Americans.
A 2002 graduate of Eckerd (Fla.) College with a degree in humandevelopment, Huddleston served as captain of the Tritons' women'sbasketball team for three seasons and was the recipient of Eckerd'sNational Student Athlete Day Award as a junior and Jim Harley Heartof Eckerd Athletics Award her senior year. The Atlanta, Ga., nativealso holds a M.S. in sports administration from Austin Peay.
