LOWELL, Mass. - Denise King has been named the ninth head coach of the UMass Lowell women's basketball program, as announced by Director of Athletics Peter Casey on Thursday.
 
No stranger to the River Hawks, King has been a member of the UMass Lowell staff since 2018, serving as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the team's previous head coach, Tom Garrick. Last month, Garrick accepted an associate head coach position at Vanderbilt under his wife Shea Ralph.  
 
"I'm thrilled to announce Denise King as the next head coach of our women's basketball program," said Casey. "Her professionalism and drive are already well-respected by the entire UMass Lowell Athletics community, and she has played a vital role in the growth of our program at the Division I level over the past three seasons. I'm excited to see what comes next for the team under her leadership."
 
During her three seasons in Lowell so far, the River Hawks have seen unprecedented growth, including back-to-back winning seasons and two straight America East Playoffs semifinal appearances. In 2019-20, the team set a DI program record with 16 total wins, and put together a record, seven-game win streak in America East play, earning its first ever home playoff game. This past season, UMass Lowell also earned double-digit wins in conference action, in addition to holding its opponents to an average of just 23.5 percent from beyond the arc to rank second in the nation in three-point field goal percentage defense.
 
King has also already helped the River Hawks recruit and develop an America East All-Conference First Team selection, a two-time Second Team pick, two All-Defensive Team selections and an All-Rookie Team honoree.
 
"I am extremely excited to continue to build on what we have started here at UMass Lowell," commented King. "I am blessed to be able to continue to work with such amazing student-athletes who want to succeed in the classroom and on the court, and are advocates for change. The support from the UMass Lowell community has been amazing and I cannot wait to foster more relationships throughout campus. Thank you Chancellor Moloney and Athletic Director Peter Casey for believing in me and giving me this opportunity."
 
Before joining the River Hawk staff, the Catonsville, Md. native spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Hofstra from 2013-18. While with the Pride, King was instrumental in recruiting and developing five All-Colonial Athletic Association honorees, as well as the league's 2015 Rookie of the Year, the Metropolitan Rookie of the Year and Full Court's Mid-Major Freshman of the Year, Ashunae Durant. During King's tenure, Hofstra recorded back-to-back, 20-win seasons with victories against Big East and ACC opponents and two berths into WNIT, including a trip to the Elite 8.
 
Prior to Hofstra, King became an assistant coach at Mount St. Mary's in 2009, where she also led the program's recruiting efforts. Additionally, she organized community service projects during her time in Emmitsburg, while embracing responsibilities as an academic mentor for the team. Thanks to her work with the guards, the Mountaineers' roster boasted the Northeast Conference leader in assists and steals, and the NCAA single-season record holder for consecutive three-point field goals. While at The Mount, King was also the head coach of a 10-day foreign tour team that traveled to Belgium, Germany and France with Global Sports Academy and went 5-0.
 
A four-year standout as a player at Rhode Island, King began her coaching career as an assistant at her alma mater from 2005-09 under Garrick. Her responsibilities included team travel, film exchange and scouting. She also helped recruit and coach four, Atlantic 10 All-Conference players and an All-District selection, in addition to coaching the 2016 A-10 Legend inductee.
 
As a player, King was one of only 18 student-athletes to reach the 1,000-point milestone with the Rams and sits 15th on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,023 points. She is also fourth in Rhode Island history with 118 three-pointers, 339 assists and a .772 free throw percentage. In her senior year, the two-time team captain averaged 12.4 points and led the team with 4.2 assists per game to earn a spot on the All-Atlantic 10 Third Team.
 
Also a standout off the court, the 2004 recipient of the Rhode Island Althea Gibson Award represented the university at the 2003 NCAA Leadership Conference, and was inducted into the Phi Sigma National Honor Society, the Golden Key International Honor Society and Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society. In addition, King won the Speaker of the House of Representatives' Scholar Athlete Award for the State of Rhode Island from 2002-2004 and served as a member of the URI Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
 
King earned her bachelor's degree in business management from URI in 2004, graduating cum laude, and is working on completing her M.Ed in Higher Education Administration.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
 

"Denise has been a high level assistant for many years. That experience has prepared her for this moment. UMass Lowell is primed to play championship level basketball (due in large part to Denise's coaching style). She is absolutely the right person to lead the team to unprecedented heights." -- Tom Garrick, Vanderbilt WBB Associate Head Coach

"DK is invested in having great relationships with her players ensuring they have the best college experience. She is a transformational leader that understands what her players will need to be successful on and off the court. DK is a competitor and a tireless worker that will lead by example. It's been fun following UML's success the past few years and I look forward to them reaching even greater heights with DK at the helm!" -- Jada Pierce, Niagara WBB Head Coach

"Denise is absolutely a part of us, she is a member of our 12 Inches Over family and we could not be more ecstatic for her. What I can say from meeting her and being involved in discussions, she is tremendously well prepared to take on the head coach position at UMass Lowell. She knows what she wants, and will demand the same from her players and staff. In sports, especially basketball, you always say you want to move 12 inches over to the big chair. I can certainly tell you that Denise is prepared to move those 12 inches." -- Geoff Arnold, Rider MBB Assistant Coach, Creator of 12 Inches Over

"UMass Lowell WBB has landed one of the best! Coach King is so deserving of leading this team and program as the Head Women's Basketball Coach. She has a track record of impacting the lives of student-athletes that goes deeper than just the game of basketball. Personally, I was lucky to cross paths with Coach King, as she played such an instrumental role in my development as a player, person and coach. She possesses an innate ability to connect, motivate and lead. Her experience has prepared her for this moment and I'm thrilled to see the success she brings to the River Hawks." -- Megan Shoniker, URI WBB Assistant Coach