Christie Sides is beginning her second season in Monroe in 2020-21.
The Associate Head Coach for the Warhawks served as the Defensive Coordinator as well as the Coordinator for Scouting and Player Development during the 2019-20 season. Sides also was the post position coach for the Warhawks.
“We are thrilled to have Coach Christie Sides in Monroe,” head coach Brooks Donald Williams said. “She and I are longtime friends, and for us to have the opportunity to be on the sideline together and to help grow the game together this past season was incredibly special. We started in the business together and have supported each other for many, many years. This has been a dream come true for the two of us and we are excited about getting things cranked up here in Monroe.”
Under Sides’ defensive direction, the Warhawks finished in the top five in the Sun Belt Conference in rebounding defense, 3-point field goal percentage defense and blocked shots. The Warhawks held more than half of their opponents below their scoring average, including four opponents to 55 points or less.
“Sides is incredibly talented,” Williams said. “Her attention to detail combined with her work ethic and enthusiasm is special. She is a competitor so she isn’t going to let anybody beat her in anything. That passion is infectious and it will soon turn into big time production for this program. It is fun to see it evolving and she is instrumental, daily, in impacting our players, our coaches and anyone who comes in contact with her.”
Sides has 18 years of coaching experience at the collegiate, international and professional levels.
"Year one at ULM marked a milestone for me, as it was my 20th year teaching and coaching this incredible game," Sides said. "To do that alongside my lifelong friend in her first year as the head coach for ULM was an incredible experience. Brooks Williams’ number one goal in life is to improve the lives of others, and I watched her do this daily. When that is your focus and drive, you can definitely expect great things. I’m looking forward to being a part of what the future holds for ULM women’s basketball."
Sides comes to ULM after spending the previous two WNBA seasons with the Indiana Fever alongside fellow Louisiana-native Pokey Chatman. Prior to her time in Indiana, Sides spent one season as associate head coach at Northwestern in 2016-17.
Before Northwestern, Sides was on the sideline with the Chicago Sky (WNBA), where she helped guide the team to their first Eastern Conference Championship as well as a WNBA Finals appearance in 2014. Sides served as an assistant coach in the WNBA All-Star Game in 2015.
Sides spent four seasons as an assistant coach for Spartak Vidnoe Moscow Regional in Euroleague, winning the 2008-09 championship while reaching the finals in the other three seasons. Sides spent three years as an assistant coach with the Slovakian national team, qualifying for Eurobasket all three years and placing eighth in 2009.
Prior to coaching internationally, Sides was an assistant coach at LSU for three seasons. The Tigers reached the Final Four in each of her three seasons in Baton Rouge and won two Southeastern Conference regular season titles.
Coach Sides spent two seasons at her alma mater, Louisiana Tech, helping the Lady Techsters to back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances. She began her coaching career as the head junior varsity coach and assistant varsity coach at Ruston (La.) High School where she served under Ricky Durrett. While at Ruston, Sides helped guide the Lady Bearcats to consecutive state playoff appearances.
"Her career speaks for itself," Williams said. "She's a winner in every way. She has won on every level of our game, as a player and a coach. She has helped develop some of the best players in the world. She has an infectious energy and a love for people. I couldn't be happier for our girls to have the opportunity to work with one of our game's best right here in Fant-Ewing every day. She is a huge impact for our program, our staff, our community and for our state."
Sides played her first two collegiate seasons at Ole Miss for Hall of Fame Head Coach Van Chancellor and helped the Rebels to a 34-22 overall record. She then transferred to Louisiana Tech where she finished her playing career for fellow Hall of Fame coach Leon Barmore. Sides helped the Lady Techsters to a 61-6 record in two seasons, including a trip to the 1999 Final Four. She holds the career record at Tech for three-point field goal percentage and ranks seventh in three-pointers made and eighth in three pointers attempted.
Sides is a native of Baton Rouge where she led Central Private High School to a state championship as a senior and earned the Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year award and all-state honors. She ended her high school playing career ranked No. 1 in school history with 3,375 points.
Coaching Career Recap for Coach Christie Sides
2019-Present ULM Associate HC College
2017-2019 Indiana Fever Assistant Coach WNBA
2016-2017 Northwestern University Associate HC College
2011-2016 Chicago Sky Assistant Coach WNBA
2007-2013 Spartak Moscow Region, Russia Assistant Coach Professional
2004-2007 Louisiana State University Assistant Coach College
2002-2004 Louisiana Tech University Assistant Coach College
2000-2002 Ruston High School Assistant Coach High School
