Kia Damon-Olson: Transition Offense

The Coach

Washington State Girls Basketball Coaches Association

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Coach Damon-Olson enters her second at Lafayette and brings a wealth of coaching experience with her to College Hill, having spent 19 years as an assistant coach at Cincinnati, Penn State, UMass, Fairleigh Dickinson and Green Bay.

A Baltimore native, Damon arrives at Lafayette after spending one season at Cincinnati, where she served as the offensive coordinator. Her other duties included scouting opponents, recruiting and coaching the wings. During her time at UC, she signed two top-100 recruits and helped the Bearcats to their first winning season since 2007.

Prior to her time in Cincinnati, Damon spent a nine-year stretch in State College, where she was a key part of Penn State’s coaching staff. She was the Nittany Lions’ offensive coordinator, played a vital role in opponent scouting and was the team’s recruiting coordinator, helping the program reel in four top-20 recruiting classes.

Damon was a catalyst in helping Penn State lead the Big Ten in scoring in two of her last four years and rank first in the nation in three-point shooting in 2011. Additionally, she aided in the development of three All-Big Ten selections, including Tyra Grant and Kam Gissendanner, who both went on to play in the WNBA. During her time at Penn State, the Nittany Lions made the NCAA Tournament four times, including two Sweet 16 appearances, while also being crowned Big Ten Regular Season Champions from 2012-2014.

Before her tenure at Penn State, Damon was a member of the coaching staff at UMass for five years. In addition to her coaching responsibilities, she served as the recruiting coordinator in her final two seasons, in charge of prospect evaluation, home visits and management of the recruiting database. Damon helped recruit two student-athletes who received Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team recognition as well as a pair of top-50 junior college players. She was also involved in player development, coaching the post and perimeter players. With Damon on the staff, UMass enjoyed its most successful season in the last 20 years, capping the 2007 campaign with a 17-12 mark. 

Damon spent three years at Fairleigh Dickinson prior to her arrival in Massachusetts. With the Knights, she worked as the recruiting coordinator while also aiding in scouting and player development. Under her guidance, the Knights produced a pair of First-Team All-Northeast Conference selections. 

Damon got her coaching career started at Green Bay, where she helped the Phoenix claim the MCC Championship in 1998 and 1999 for back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths.