Lisa Boyer joined the South Carolina staff in May 2008, shortly after head coach Dawn Staley announced her intention to join the Gamecocks. Boyer has been the lead assistant on Staley's staff since the 2002-03 season when she returned to the college ranks after five seasons coaching at the professional level. She is the Gamecocks' recruiting coordinator and liaison for strength and conditioning and compliance. Additionally, she will work directly with South Carolina's guards.

"Having Lisa on our staff says a lot because she could be a head coach in her own right," Staley said. "I strive for perfection. If you don't have the knowledge to accomplish perfection, then you get somebody who has that knowledge to pass it along to you. When I started in coaching, Lisa was that person for me. I wore her down because I knew I needed her. I trust her with my life, and I knew I could trust her with my career, not just as a coach, but as an administrator, a manager and overall as a person."

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to get South Carolina women's basketball where it needs to be, which is among the top teams in the SEC," Boyer said. "With the conference we are in, the facility, the location and the fact that it's a state university, there is no reason we can't put South Carolina on the women's basketball map. People want this program to succeed, and we look forward to the challenge."

In six seasons at Temple, Boyer helped Staley lead the Owls to five NCAA Tournaments and three Atlantic 10 Tournament titles. She also keyed the recruitment of two players that would go on to be Temple's first WNBA First-Round Draft Picks. In 2005, the Owls became the first team in A-10 history to go undefeated in the regular season when they posted a 16-0 mark in league play. That team went on to capture its second-straight A-10 Tournament championship and finished the season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a school-record 28 wins. Prior to falling in the second-round game against Rutgers, Temple had rattled off 25 consecutive victories, the nation's longest winning streak of any men's or women's team that season.

Prior to her stint at Temple, Boyer spent five seasons coaching in first the ABL and then the WNBA. She began her career at the professional level in 1996 as the head coach of the Richmond Rage, which became the Philadelphia Rage the following season. After guiding her first team to a 21-19 record, Boyer welcomed the arrival of Staley to the squad in 1997, during which Staley earned All-Star honors. Boyer left the Rage to take an assistant coach position with the Cleveland Rockers of the WNBA for the 1998 season. During her five years with the club, the Rockers advanced to the WNBA semifinals (1998) and the conference final (2000). As part of her work with the Rockers, Boyer had the opportunity to serve on John Lucas' Cleveland Cavalier's staff in 2001-02, becoming the first woman on an NBA coaching staff.

Boyer took the position with the Rage after 10 seasons as Bradley University's head coach. With a 100 percent graduation rate throughout her tenure, she guided the Braves to a 15-13 record in her first season (1986-87). Boyer also posted winning records in 1989-90 (16-12) and 1991-92 (17-11) before leaving the program following the 1995-96 seasons. In her final four seasons at Bradley, she also served as the department's senior women's administrator and compliance coordinator.

Bradley was not Boyer's first head coaching stop, however. She led Converse in 1982-83, just one year after getting her start in coaching as an assistant at Davidson. Following her single season at Converse, Boyer served as an assistant coach for one season at East Carolina, Miami (Ohio) and Virginia Tech, respectively.

Having both coached Staley as a player and coached with her, Boyer enjoys a symbiotic relationship with her head coach where her perspective and experience propel both forward in their shared goal of team success.

"We view the game similarly, and our philosophies around how players should practice and approach the game are parallel," Boyer said of her relationship with Staley. "We're both driven and competitive and thrive around other people with those qualities. When she first got into coaching, I had the experience to help her through the off-the-court details, especially when she was still playing in the WNBA and coaching. Those years helped us build a trust that we have each other's back and are working toward a common goal."

A native of Ogdensburg, N.Y., Boyer was a standout forward for Ithaca College, from which she graduated with a bachelor of science degree in 1979. She also earned a master of education degree from UNC Greensboro in 1982.

The Boyer Capsule

Coaching Experience
South Carolina, associated head coach, 2010-present
South Carolina, assistant coach, 2008-10
Temple, assistant coach, 2002-08
Cleveland Rockers, WNBA, assistant coach, 1998-2002
Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, assistant coach, 2001-02
Richmond/Philadelphia Rage, ABL, head coach, 1996-97
Bradley University, head coach, 1986-1996
Virginia Tech, assistant coach, 1985-86
University of Miami (Ohio), assistant coach, 1984-85
East Carolina, assistant coach, 1983-84
Converse College, head coach, 1982-83
Davidson College, assistant coach, 1981-82

Playing Experience
Ithaca College, 1975-79

Education
Bachelor of science, Ithaca College, 1979
Master of education, UNC Greensboro, 1982