ARLINGTON, TX – The Dallas Wings named Le’Coe Willingham, Kelly Schumacher-Raimon and Tim Gittens Assistant Coaches, the team announced today.
Willingham played a decade in the WNBA from 2004-13 with the Connecticut Sun, Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm, Chicago Sky and the Atlanta Dream, winning championships in back-to-back years with Phoenix in 2009 and Seattle in 2010. After recording over 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds in the WNBA, Willingham served as an Assistant Coach with Tennessee State from 2014-16, helping leaded the Tigers to their first Ohio Valley Conference Title in two decades. She then took the Head Coaching position at Fort Valley State from 2017-2019 before joining the Indiana Fever coaching staff during August of the 2020 season.
“Le’ Coe is a great addition to our team,” said Head Coach Vickie Johnson. “She brings a wealth of experience from the WNBA with ten years as an undersized post player and two championships. Her career is a testament to her character and her drive to succeed. She is key to help guide our young team to move in the right direction.”
Schumacher-Raimon was selected 14th overall by the Indiana Fever during the 2001 WNBA draft after playing collegiately at the University of Connecticut. She went on to play nine years in the WNBA from 2001-09 with the Fever, New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, and Detroit Shock, winning back-to-back championships with Phoenix in 2007 and Detroit in 2008. After finishing her playing career, Schumacher-Raimon served as a Team Development Coach and Advanced Scout for the Chicago Sky in 2017 before joining Las Vegas as an Assistant Coach, helping lead Vegas to a Conference Finals in 2019. Last year, Schumacher-Raimon was a member of the New York Liberty coaching staff.
“I am very happy to reunite with Kelly here in Dallas,” Johnson said. “Kelly’s valuable experience as both a coach and a former player is an important asset to our team. Kelly has also won two WNBA titles and knows the league and its players very well. She is a high character person with exceptional values.”
A native of Harlem, New York, Gittens grew up playing basketball and eventually played at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee. He would go on to play in the National Rookie League, the United States Basketball League and appear as a Harlem Globetrotter in 2001, prior to earning an invitation to the 2004 New York Knicks Summer Camp. Gittens also gained notoriety as a founding member of the And 1 Streetball Team and began the Headache 13 Foundation in 2004, named after his on-court nickname and number, to help improve the lives of inner-city youth and their families.
“I am excited to introduce Tim as our new player development coach,” said Johnson. “Known for his outstanding streetball performances, Tim’s unique experience and basketball knowledge at the professional level are also key for our team. He works endless hours in the gym. His work ethic is contagious, and he will be fully committed to working with the players on call. He fits perfectly in our culture.”