NEWARK, Del. - - Preparing to start a new season on the court, the Wilmington University basketball programs each added personnel to the bench in adding Matt O'Brien and Candice Walker to the men's and women's coaching staff, respectively.
O'Brien joins the men's staff as an assistant after seven years as an assistant at Eastern University. Prior to coaching at Eastern, O'Brien was a four year letterwinner for the basketball team at Grove City College in Grove City, Pa.
"Matt has a ton of contacts all over the area and is known as one of the best recruiters in the Mid-Atlantic Region," fifth year head coach Mike Gallagher said. "He will be a tremendous asset to our program. In my opinion, along with our current assistants Harrison Singer and Vernon Dupree, the addition of Matt gives us one of the best recruiting staffs in the CACC (Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference)."
He helped lead the Eagles to four conference tournament semifinal appearances between the PAC and the MAC conferences. While mainly focusing on the post positions, O'Brien helped coach six all-conference selections during his tenure at Eastern, including three first-team honorees.
While at Eastern, O'Brien was also the JV Head Coach, implementing the skill development and program play book to the student-athletes on the freshman team. He was also responsible for organizing the team's travel and meal arrangements, as well as the budget of the JV program.
Walker joins the women's staff after a successful career on the court for the Loyola University Maryland Greyhounds.
Walker, a native of Baltimore, Md., was a four-year letterwinner for the Greyhounds, completing her senior season on the court in 2012-13. Her career started off by being named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team in 2007-08 after becoming the first true freshman to start for Loyola at the point guard position since the 1991-92 season.
"I had the pleasure of recruiting and coaching Candice at the high school level," second year head coach Tiffany Silver said. "She was a coaches' model point guard. Her work ethic and success through high school and college makes her a fantastic addition to my staff. She's ambitious, passionate, and hungry to make her mark at Wilmington. The best person to hire, in my opinion, is one of the best point guards to ever play for me. The girls love her energy and have adapted and welcomed her from day one."
As a freshman, Walker led the MAAC rookies with 252 points and 93 assists while also leading the conference rookies in minutes played. She was named MAAC Rookie of the Week four times as a freshman. She played, and started, in all 30 games for the 2007-08 season. As a sophomore, she again led her team in assists, tallying 74 with a career high eight against Towson.
Injuries plagued her junior and senior seasons, but Walker was granted a medical hardship to compete in her sixth season as a Greyhound, finishing out her career during the 2012-13 season. She came back and played in 18 games last year, making one start. She scored a season high five points against Maryland and added a season high three assists twice.
Walker has worked as a coach at the Point Guard College and is a graduate from WBCA's "So You Want To Be A Coach" at last season's NCAA Division I Women's Final Four.
The men's 2013-14 schedule begins at the Bentley Tip-Off on November 8-9, with the first chance to catch them at the WU Athletics Complex on November 14 against Millersville at 7 p.m. The women start their season on November 9 at Lock Haven with their first home game against Bloomsburg on November 16 starting at 2 p.m.