BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland head women's basketball coach Danielle O'Banion announced the hiring of four assistants to complete her staff for the upcoming season on Wednesday afternoon.

Courtney Davidson, Simeon Spurling and Lisa Strack join the Greyhounds as assistant coaches, while Annalese Lamke will serve as the program's director of basketball operations.

"Loyola, the city of Baltimore and the Patriot League make for a championship trio," O'Banion said. "And this championship combination helped me attract a staff with technical expertise, championship pedigree and passion. Loyola women's basketball gets better with each of their additions."

Davidson was most-recently an assistant coach at the University of Hartford for the past two years. A 2016 WBCA "Thirty Under 30" award recipient, she has also worked on coaching staffs at Youngstown State (2013-14, 2017-19), Radford (2015-17) and the College of Charleston (2014-15) following a successful playing career at Michigan State.

Davidson will work with the point guards and serve as recruiting coordinator at Loyola. She has coached eight all-conference, three all-rookie and four all-academic performers during her coaching career. She guided her first team to the WNIT in 2017 after her Radford squad won 24 games and finished as Big South regular season champions. Davidson returned to the WNIT with Youngstown State in 2019 after the Penguins posted 22 victories on the year.

As a player, Davidson made 101 appearances for the Spartans, who reached three-straight NCAA tournaments from 2005-07 (National Runner-Up in 2005, Sweet 16 in 2006, Second Round in 2007) and advanced to the WNIT title game during her senior season in 2008. Davidson was twice chosen as the program's "Sixth Man of the Year" while finishing her playing career with 379 points, 181 assists and 41 steals. She graduated from Michigan State in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in communications and added an M.A. in counseling from Youngstown State in 2011.

"Coach Court is a proven relationship builder, coach and recruiter," O'Banion said. "I am excited about the opportunity to work with her after having coached against her at Michigan State and watching her work her way through the coaching ranks. We are fortunate to have this WBCA 30 Under 30 honoree coaching the Greyhound point guards."

Spurling joins the Greyhounds after spending the past three seasons as a video coordinator at UCLA. He was responsible for creating and presenting multiple scouting reports and game plans to staff, and was also heavily involved assisting the Bruins' recruiting coordinator with all aspects of recruiting. UCLA made the NCAA tournament during both completed seasons in his tenure, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2019, and held a 26-5 record at the time of the 2020 season's cancellation due to COVID-19.

Prior to joining UCLA, Spurling spent three years as video coordinator for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, where he created video scouting reports for the team and assisted the coaching staff during film sessions and practices. His tenure with the Sparks included a WNBA Championship in 2017.

Spurling also spent eight seasons as the first assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Hope International University, an NAIA Division I school in Fullerton, California. He helped the Royals make five conference tournaments and the school's first NAIA tournament appearance in 2014. Spurling recruited and coached several standout players, including Andrina Rendon, a two-time NAIA All-American, Brittany Bauman (second all-time scorer in program history) and Alexis Perry (91 Scout grade on ESPN).

"Coach Sim embodies our 'chips' and 'ships' recruiting philosophy here at Loyola," O'Banion said. "He's been a part of WNBA, NAIA and NCAA championship-caliber programs throughout his career. I know him to be a tremendous worker and a great teammate as he's worked his way through our field. His most-recent stint at UCLA will greatly benefit our program and wing players."

Strack brings 11 years of Patriot League experience to the Greyhounds, spending the last seven years as an assistant for Army West Point following a standout playing career at American. She was promoted to associate head coach at Army in 2018 after the Black Knights posted winning seasons in each of her first four years on staff, including three 20-win seasons, two postseason appearances and a Patriot League championship in 2016.

Army finished the 2015-16 campaign with a 29-3 record, matching a conference record for victories in a season. Strack coached a total of 10 All-Patriot League selections during her tenure, including three-time Patriot League Player of the Year Kelsey Minato. As part of her associate head coach responsibilities, Strack managed the program's overall budget, played a lead role in Army's end-of-game decision making and was the primary liaison to athletic department administrators.

Strack began her coaching career as a video coordinator at Virginia Tech. She spent two seasons with the Hokies, where she was responsible for breaking down film and assisting in recruiting visits.

As an undergrad, Strack was named Patriot League Player of the Year and American's Female Athlete of the Year during her senior season with the Eagles in 2012. She led American to a perfect 14-0 regular season conference record and a third WNIT appearance in four years that winter. A two-time All-Patriot League honoree and two-year team captain, Strack finished her playing career with 1,059 points and 500 rebounds. She graduated from American with a B.S. in business administration (marketing concentration).

"Coach Strack brings Patriot League championship pedigree to our program that is unmatched," O'Banion said. "She knows winning from both a player and coach's perspective, as she is arguably one of the best players in American's history and has demonstrated success as both a coach and recruiter at Army. Our program, and especially our posts, will move in a championship direction with her addition."

Lamke spent the previous two seasons as a graduate assistant at Bethel University after playing for O'Banion as an undergraduate at Minnesota. She helped the Royals finish a program-best 26-2 during the 2019-20 season, winning an MIAC title to clinch an automatic spot in the NCAA Division III tournament. 

Lamke was heavily involved in scouting and video coordination, and she was the position coach for WBCA All-American and West Region Player of the Year Taite Anderson. She also assisted with a variety of administrative tasks, including creating and managing the team's social media accounts.

As an undergrad, Lamke was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection who was honored as a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2019. She appeared in 88 games overall for the Golden Gophers, averaging 7.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while serving as a team captain during her senior season.

Lamke graduated from Minnesota with a B.S. in kinesiology, and she is completing her master's in athletic training this spring.

"AL is one of the best teammates and workers I've had the honor of coaching," O'Banion said. "She has a passion for the game of basketball and a work ethic to match. I am excited to see her continue to grow and lead by example."

O'Banion, who brings 20 years of coaching experience to the Greyhounds, was announced as Loyola's 12th head coach in program history in April.