Ashley Crawford Hometown: Dallas, Texas Position: Assistant Coach Experience: 3rd Season

A success on the court and in the classroom, Ashley Crawford seamlessly made the move from one side of the Lamar bench to the other as she enters her third season as an assistant coach of the Lady Cardinals in 2012-13.

Crawford played an important role on the 2009-2010 Lamar squad that posted a 26-8 record en route to winning the Southland Conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

On the court, Crawford overcame a serious knee injury to post two solid seasons for the Lady Cardinals. In her final campaign, she started 26 of Lamar's 34 games, averaging 6.3 points per game while often accepting the role of shutting down the opposition's top scorer.

In the classroom, Crawford earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and is pursuing her master's degree in kinesiology. She posted a perfect 4.0 GPA in her master's program during her final season on the court, earning her first-team District 6 All-Academic honors.

"Hiring Ashley was a no-brainer for us," Lamar coach Larry Tidwell said. "She's a perfect example of what a student-athlete should be. She's a winner on and off the court."

A native of Mesquite, Texas, Crawford attended Horn High School, where she earned all-region honors as a senior. She averaged seven points per game at Trinity Valley Community College, where she set the school single-game assist record with 19. She attended UT Arlington for one season before transferring to Lamar.

She has also volunteered as a SAT instructor for the prep youth program at Greater Baptist Church, the B.I.S.D. Character Counts program.