Jennifer Gillom enters her first season with the Washington Mystics. She recently was the head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks where she led the team to their 11th WNBA Playoff appearance.

Gillom was inducted in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. She spent the 2008 season as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Lynx before being elevated to interim head coach of the Lynx three days before the start of the 2009 season.

Gillom began her coaching career in 2004 with the girls’ basketball team at Xavier College Preparatory, a private high school in Phoenix. During her six years as head coach, Gillom has compiled a 130-25 record (.839 winning percentage).

Gillom – one of the first players signed by the WNBA – played seven seasons in the league, six with the Phoenix Mercury before a final season with the Sparks in 2003. She led the Mercury to three playoff berths (1997, 1998 and 2000), and reached the 1998 WNBA Finals, losing to the Houston Comets. She retired from the WNBA in 2003 with career averages of 13.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Her best season came in 1998, posting career-high averages of 20.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

The league’s 2002 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award recipient, Gillom participated in the inaugural WNBA All-Star Game in 1999 and was also named to the 1997 All-WNBA first team and 1998 All-WNBA second team. She was named USA Basketball’s 1985 Female Athlete of the Year and collected a total of six gold medals including the 1988 Olympic Games, plus one silver medal as a member of USA Basketball.

Collegiately, Gillom played for former Houston Comets coach Van Chancellor at Mississippi, where she was the 1986 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Female Athlete of the Year. A 1986 Kodak All-American, Gillom earned 1986 NCAA Midwest Regional MVP and 1985 NCAA All-Mideast Regional honors and was a four-time All-SEC first team selection.

Gillom also enjoyed a lengthy professional career overseas prior to joining the WNBA, playing for teams in Italy, Greece, Spain and Turkey. Spending most of her time in Italy, Gillom played in Ansona, Messina, Milan and Taranto and was selected to several Italian League All-Star teams.