Hall of Fame Coach Marianne Stanley returns to the Los Angeles Sparks sideline this season as an assistant coach to Michael Cooper.

Stanley's decorated basketball career began as a two-time national champion while playing at Immaculata College near Philadelphia. She joined the coaching ranks at age 23, and guided Old Dominion University to three national championships. Stanley has also served as head coach at the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, the University of California-Berkeley and the University of Southern California, where she coached outstanding players such as Lisa Leslie. Stanley posted a 416-222 (.652) record in 21 seasons as a college head coach, guiding her teams to 10 NCAA Tournament berths. Three times her teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament Final Four, and five times reached at least the Elite Eight.

For 13 years (1983-96), Stanley served on numerous USA Basketball coaching staffs as both an assistant and head coach, including the 1986 gold-medal winning World Championship team.

In 2000, Stanley joined the Sparks as an assistant coach to Michael Cooper. She had a two-year stint as head coach of the Washington Mystics, leading them to the playoffs in 2002 and winning the WNBA's Coach of the Year Award. In 2004, Stanley joined the New York Liberty as an advance scout later became an assistant coach to Patty Coyle.

Stanley returned to the college arena in 2006 as an assistant coach to C. Vivian Stringer at Rutgers University, and helped guide the Scarlet Knights to the NCAA Championship game in 2007.

Stanley's days on the court and on the sidelines have earned her many accolades, including an induction into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002, the Pac-10 Conference Coach of the Year in 1993, the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year in 1984 and 1985, and an All-American selection as a player in 1975 and 1976.

Off the court, Stanley has been an active member in the community, lending a hand to groups such as Hoops for Africa, the YMCA, Hope House Foundation and National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Stanley's daughter and son-in-law, Michelle and Jonathan Worden, live in Long Beach, Calif., with their children, Madelyn, Jonathan, Jr. and Dylan.