Muskingum's Stragisher lands WNBA Coaching Internship
NEW CONCORD, OHIO – The road to a WNBA coaching internship with the San Antonio Silver Stars for Muskingum College 2008 graduate Chrissy Stragisher (Mentor) started when she was just a toddler.
As a youngster, she always had a passion for sports and always had a ball nearby.
“My mom likes to say that I always had a ball in the crib or the play pen,” said Stragisher. “My dad played basketball in high school and he’s always had a great love for the game and he just passed that on to me.”
 Stragisher knew she wanted to play basketball in college and after a visit to Muskingum, she fell in love with the Black & Magenta school located in New Concord, Ohio.
As Chrissy’s college tenure continued, she realized that some of the most influential people in her life were coaches. That’s when she recognized she wanted to be able to do the same things for other kids as coaches had done for her – and that’s when she started thinking about getting involved in coaching.
Following a one-year stint with the Muskingum women’s basketball team, Stragisher traded in her sneakers for a clipboard and a seat on the bench next to Muskingum women’s basketball Head Coach Beth Fox.
“Being a part of a team has always been a top priority for Chrissy,” said Fox. “She has always been an extremely dedicated teammate while being very successful in a number of other activities. She is very dependable, takes great pride in doing quality work, and has an attention to detail that far surpasses most of her peers.”
Throughout her career at Muskingum, Stragisher earned her place as one of the top Muskie student coaches. As a senior, her final chapter was written with the nationally-ranked softball team that ended the season ranked fifth in the nation. She spent the spring working with Head Coach Donna Newberry, the all-time winningest softball coach in NCAA Division III.
“Even though Chrissy only worked with the softball team her senior year, she made an immediate impact,” stated Newberry. “Her work ethic is incredible. She knows what to do without being told, and takes care of details before you even realize there is a potential problem. She is definitely a self-starter that brings a high level of dedication and passion to every task.”
Now, Stragisher is calling San Antonio home for the summer. The Silver Stars are coached by 1977 Muskingum alumnus Dan Hughes, who also serves as General Manager. The 2007 WNBA Coach of the Year, Hughes is the only coach in WNBA history to take three different franchises to the playoffs.
“Chrissy is a very bright, conscientious, hard-working, versatile person,” stated Hughes. “She’s the first intern I have honestly hired in San Antonio. She works with our videographer; she has operational responsibility at practice; she sits in on the coaches meetings; does our offensive efficiency and helps work with our scouting situations; and she will have responsibilities with travel, our trainers, and our travel coordinators.”
San Antonio is currently in second place in the Western Conference and sports the league's best home record at 6-0.
“She’s just been great – I mean she’s really been a delight and has fit in really quickly with the players and the staff and we have really had a joy getting to know her,” added Hughes.
Stragisher, who was a speech communication major, has taken her passion for sports to the professional level and is living out the dream she had as a child.
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