The 14 years that have passed since Julie Rousseau, Pepperdine University’s women’s basketball coach, departed as coach of the Los Angeles Sparks have done little to diminish her popularity among Sparks supporters. Numerous fans warmly greeted Rousseau and reminisced about her coaching tenure during a recent Sparks home game at the Staples Center.
“I have very fond memories from those years,” Rousseau said.
Rousseau and the rest of the 1997 Sparks team were honored as part of a celebration of the WNBA’s 15-year anniversary.
“I cannot believe it has been 15 years,” Rousseau said. “It is awesome to see so many people still enthusiastic about the women’s professional game, and I hope it continues.”
Rousseau became an assistant coach for the Sparks in 1997. That year, she was promoted to interim head coach at only 31 years of age, and eventually became head coach for the 1998 season.
“It was an extraordinary experience and opportunity,” Rousseau said. “I am blessed to have it on my resume. Coaching and competing against some of the best basketball players in the world made me a better coach.”
While with the Sparks, her star player was three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player Lisa Leslie.
“Julie is a great person,” Leslie said. “I loved having her as a coach. Her character stands our more than anything to me.”
Following her stint with the Sparks, Rousseau became an assistant coach at Stanford University before being hired as the head coach at Pepperdine.
At Pepperdine, Rousseau takes it upon herself to mold her players into successful young women. For most of her student-athletes, the ultimate dream is to play professional basketball in the WNBA. Her experience with the Sparks makes Rousseau uniquely qualified to help guide her players toward achieving that goal.
“Recruits want to know what it takes to get to the professional level,” Rousseau said. “We feel like we develop our players well, which allows them to play professionally in the WNBA or overseas.”
Two of her former players, Miranda Ayim and Jennifer Lacy, have played in the WNBA for the Tulsa Shock.
Rousseau begins her eighth season as Pepperdine’s head coach this fall. The Waves are coming off their two most successful seasons under Rousseau, winning 20 and 18 games, respectively. Both seasons ended in trips to the WNIT postseason basketball tournament.
Pepperdine only lost one senior from last year’s squad. Guard Jazmine Jackson returns after pacing the Waves with an average of 14 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
“Our players are hungry and ready to go even further this season,” Rousseau said. “We are excited about the talent that we have.”