Christie Sides (born January 17, 1977) is an American
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
head coach for the
Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the 2000 season began. The team is owned ...
of the
WNBA. Sides has previously been an assistant coach for the Fever,
Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 20 ...
, and
Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real ...
in the league. She has also coached at the collegiate level.
Early life and education
Sides grew up in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties i ...
and attended
Central Private High School
Central Private School (CPS) or Central Private (CP) is a private education institution located in Central, Louisiana. The school was founded in the 1967 amidst the court ordered desegregation of public schools.
CPS is one of several private sc ...
. She played basketball and was named the Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year for her senior year. She finished her high school career with 3,375 points. Following her high school career, she attended
Ole Miss and
Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activi ...
. While at Louisiana Tech, Sides helped the Lady Techsters reach the 1999 Final Four.
Coaching career
Sides began her coaching career at
Ruston High School
Ruston High School is a four-year public high school located in the Lincoln Parish School District of Ruston, Louisiana, United States. The school has an enrollment of approximately 1300 students with 85 faculty members; the mascot is the Bea ...
as an assistant coach for the varsity team. She also served as the head JV coach for 2 season. Following that, Sides returned to her alma mater and became an assistant at Louisiana Tech. She then moved on to join
Pokey Chatman
Dana "Pokey" Chatman (born June 18, 1969) is currently an assistant coach for the Seattle Storm in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Chatman is the former head coach of the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky of the WNBA. She is also ...
's staff at LSU. While at LSU, she was a part of three Final Fours.
Following her time at LSU, Sides followed Chatman into the professional ranks, first overseas with the Spartak Moscow Region team and then with the WNBA's
Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 20 ...
.
Sides went back to the NCAA level for the 2016-2017 season and joined the Northwestern Wildcats staff. She was promoted to associate head coach on May 18, 2017, but resigned from her position to join back with Chatman and become an assistant with the
Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the 2000 season began. The team is owned ...
.
Following three years with the Fever, Sides returned to the NCAA, this time joining the
Louisiana–Monroe staff.
She re-joined the WNBA ranks in 2022 on
Tanisha Wright
Tanisha Lovely Wright (born November 29, 1983) is an American basketball coach and former player. Wright is currently the head coach of the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA. She began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Charlotte. As a player, W ...
's staff with the
Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real ...
.
Indiana Fever
Sides got her first head coaching job in 2022, when she was hired as the ninth head coach in Indiana Fever franchise history.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sides, Christie
1977 births
Living people
American women's basketball coaches
Basketball coaches from Louisiana
Basketball players from Louisiana
Chicago Sky coaches
Indiana Fever coaches
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball players
Ole Miss Rebels women's basketball players
People from Baton Rouge, Louisiana