Blanche Alverson was born and raised in Andalusia, Ala., an 8,000-person town located 85 miles away from the closest big city, Montgomery. She attended Auburn University, like her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents before her.
So what is the 34-year-old Alverson — birth name: Virginia Blanche Alverson — doing all the way west in San Diego?
Coaching USD’s women’s basketball team and, she hopes, winning.
“From the start, I’ve been very impressed and inspired by the leadership, the mission, and the shared vision for what Torero women’s basketball can become,” said Alverson, who was named USD’s new head coach on Tuesday.
“USD is a special place — elite academics, a beautiful campus, top-tier facilities, and a community that truly cares. I’m honored to lead and serve the incredible young women in this program, and I’m excited to build something meaningful — on and off the court. I believe we can recruit and compete at a championship level, both within the conference and nationally.”
Alverson has work to do. The Toreros went 7-24 overall and 2-18 in West Coast Conference play in Cindy Fisher’s final season, a year after going 9-22 overall and 4-12 in league play. USD parted ways with Fisher last month after 20 years.
Alverson played under Nell Fortner at Auburn before ing Fortner on the bench at Georgia Tech. In between, she spent time in the West. Alverson served as a graduate assistant at Texas Tech (2014-16) and an assistant coach at New Mexico State (2016-17) and USC (2017-19) before ing the Yellow Jackets. While at Georgia Tech, she helped lead the team to three NCAA Tournament appearances and one Sweet 16. Eighth-seeded Tech lost to ninth-seeded Richmond in last weekend’s first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Fortner called it “a home run hire.”
“I recruited Blanche to Auburn, coached her and have worked with her for the past six seasons at Georgia Tech,” Fortner said. “She has been instrumental in building our program and laying the foundation for our success.”
The hire is the biggest to date by athletic director Kimya Massey, who was hired a year ago to replace Bill McGillis.
Massey called Alverson “a proven leader and mentor who has developed winning cultures at every stop of her career.”
“Her vision for USD women’s basketball reflects our shared commitment to raising the bar, returning to postseason play, and building a program that consistently operates at a championship level,” he said. “I’m looking forward to this next chapter and what lies ahead under her leadership.”
