Natasha Adair is leaving the University of Delaware to become women’s basketball coach at Arizona State University, the Pac-12 school announced Sunday.
The move comes two weeks after Adair guided Delaware to the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament title with an upset win over Drexel on the Dragons’ home court, giving the Blue Hens their fifth NCAA Tournament berth.
In 2020-21, Adair led Delaware to the CAA regular-season title and the Final Four of the WNIT.
Prior to becoming UD head coach after the school had parted ways with Tina Martin in the spring of 2017, Adair had been head coach at Georgetown following a stint at the College of Charleston. Adair has also served on the coaching staffs of United States women’s under-19 and under-18 teams.
Her Delaware teams went 95-58, including 24-5 last season and 24-8 this season after an NCAA tourney loss at Maryland.
“For nearly three decades, I’ve had the honor and privilege to coach and develop women student-athletes and am grateful for the opportunity to continue to do so here at ASU and in the Pac-12,” Adair said in the ASU announcement.
“From the moment I stepped onto campus, I knew this was the place for me to build and grow our women’s basketball program to a national power.”
Adair replace Charli Turner-Thorne, who retired after 25 years.
Delaware athletic director Chrissi Rawak informed staffers that no interim coach would be named as the school “will move very quickly” in hiring a successor.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com.
