Sharon Rissmiller has been around coaching greatness for a while now. She was recruited by Kelly Graves, a former Portland Pilots women's basketball assistant coach and currently one of the top coaches in the country at University of Oregon. She worked with Scott Rueck, a highly accomplished head coach at both George Fox and Oregon State. She's been a head coach herself at both the community college level and in NCAA Division III. She knows what it takes to be successful at the college level.

So when she had the chance to join Michael Meek's staff at her alma mater – the University of Portland – she was intrigued. It would be a more difficult job than the operations position she had at the perennial powerhouse that is Oregon State, but the allure of working with Meek and helping rebuild her former program was too strong.

"It was a little bit of a leap of faith," Rissmiller said about leaving Oregon State. "I knew being an assistant coach would be a different opportunity for me, but I knew I'd be learning from somebody super amazing and I knew University of Portland."

Rissmiller took the job, and now the program is headed in the right direction with one WCC Tournament title under its belt already. Rismiller joined Brant Minor for the fourth installment of the Portland Pilots Alumni Podcast to talk about her time playing for UP, how she broke into the coaching realm, and making her return to The Bluff as an assistant coach.

Rissmiller is one of the most accomplished players in UP women's basketball history. She is a part of the 1,000-point club and was named All-WCC First Team her senior season, averaging 14.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game that year. Rissmiller also ranks ninth all-time at UP in career free throw percentage at 77 percent.

Since her playing career ended, Rissmiller has gone on to coach at all different levels of college basketball. She was the head coach at Clark Community College and Tacoma Community College, taking TCC from a one-win squad their first season to an 18-11 finish her final year. After that, Rissmiller was the head coach at Pacific University where she coached six All-Northwest Conference players.

Before joining Michael Meek's staff at the University of Portland, Rissmiller worked as the director of operations for Oregon State University's women's basketball program, helping the Beavers three-straight Pac-12 titles from 2015-17 and playing a part in their 2016 Final Four run. In her first year on The Bluff as an assistant coach, the Pilots won the WCC Tournament and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in over 20 years.

Listen to Rissmiller and Brant Minor on the fourth episode of the Portland Pilots Alumni Podcast. Check out the YouTube Playlist to find other interviews, including the first two episodes featuring Pooh Jeter and Rachael Rapinoe. If you are a former Pilot student-athlete, feel free to take our Student-Athlete Alumni Questionnaire so we can stay connected.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNduDpG69w4&list=PLQxovHhtgRlf3UTVYWMnuK8m7SKVMNh8P&index=4

TIMESTAMPS

• 1:55-2:55: Why she decided to come to UP
• 2:55-3:55: Getting a feel for the different levels of college basketball
• 3:55-5:10: How the success of UP influenced her decision
• 5:25-6:20: How the lack of professional women's basketball at the time made her want to play at UP
• 6:45-7:10: Being around great women's basketball coaches in Oregon
• 7:10-7:45: The balance of basketball and life
• 8:28-10:58: Her two favorite memories from her time on The Bluff
• 11:40-12:50: The difference between traveling now and during her playing days
• 14:40-16:45: Her memories beyond basketball
• 17:30-19:55: Going camping with her volleyball roommate
• 20:47-22:47: Getting into coaching at the community college level
• 23:20-23:50: Handling the challenges at her first head coaching job
• 24:00-27:00: Coaching at Tacoma Community College
• 27:00-30:40: Her time at Pacific University
• 31:35-33:20: What took her to Oregon State and learning the administrative side
• 34:10-36:40: Coming back to UP and the influence of Mike Meek
• 38:10-40:45: Her "why" for coaching
• 42:07-42:57: The difficulties that players currently face
• 43:45-End: Her advice to student-athletes