June 27, 2002
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State head women's basketball coach Jim Tomey completed his staff Thursday, naming University City High School girl's coach Jennifer Gross as the team's third assistant.
"Jennifer really impressed me as a bright, sharp, up-and-coming young coach," said Tomey. "She gives us another local connection to this community and she did some great things while coaching a University City. We are very excited to have her join the staff."
A local product, Gross is a 1993 graduate of University City High, where she led the Centurions to three Western League titles, a San Diego Section CIF title and a state semi-final appearance. A two-time Western League Player of the year, Gross also earned all-CIF and all-state honors as a prep.
Following high school, Gross went on to star at UC Davis from 1993-97. A four-year starter, she set school records in assists (448) and 3-point field goals (163), and ranks second all-time in steals (300), fourth in scoring (1,243) and sixth in blocked shots (33).
As a senior in '97, Gross led the Aggies to a 29-3 record and a spot in the NCAA Division II Final Four. She was also named honorable mention Kodak All-American that season.
After receiving her bachelor of arts in organizational studies from UC Davis in '97, Gross played professionally in Denmark (1997-98) and in Israel (1998) before returning to San Diego and taking a coaching position at her alma mater, University City.
And Gross' tenure at University City as a coach was as noteworthy as her playing career. During her four-year stint at UC, which included two seasons as an assistant, Gross helped lead the Centurions to four consecutive Western League championships, four straight CIF finals and two CIF titles. She also compiled an impressive 50-9 record in her two season as the team's head coach in 2001-02.
"Having grown up here, I take tremendous pride in San Diego basketeball," said Gross. "I had a great experience helping girls develop at the high school level and now I am extremely excited to help grow this program at SDSU."