After spending six seasons as an assistant coach at Big West Conference rival Cal Poly and a year as a head coach at Cal Tech, Marcia Foster returns for the fifth season on the sidelines with the Cal State Fullerton women's basketball program - her second as the team's associate head coach under Head Coach Dr. Maryalyce Jeremiah. Originally hired as an assistant coach in Dr. Jeremiah's first season in 2003-04, Foster was promoted to her current position in May, 2006.

Following the 2005-06 season, she was one of 11 collegiate female assistant coaches to be invited to participate in the 2006 Black Coaches Association "Achieving Coaches Excellence" (ACE) program for minority women in Indianapolis, Ind.

"It is both an honor and a privilege to have been selected by the Black Coaches Association to participate in the ACE program," said Foster. "I look forward to the experience; to learning, networking and representing Cal State Fullerton and our basketball program at the highest possible level."

The ACE program is designed to enhance opportunities for women of color in collegiate basketball and improve the individual's preparedness to become a head coach. Since the program was launched in 2003, there have been 25 participants and six have gone on to fill head coaching positions.

"Three years ago when I became the head coach, I knew that Marcia Foster was one of the best assistant coaches in the country and I was pleased when she decided to join our staff," said Dr. Jeremiah. "Her expertise on the floor and in the recruiting area is second to none. She has made a great impact on the Titan program and it is only fitting that she be promoted in our program and be given more responsibility befitting her abilities. Coach Foster will continue to head up our recruiting activities and will be more involved in the overall aspects of the basketball program. Her love for and commitment to the game is exactly what I want for our athletes. I am excited that she will continue to work with me as we build this program toward NCAA post season play."

Prior to her one season at Cal Tech, Foster helped revive the Cal Poly program, guiding the Mustangs to an eight-game improvement during her six seasons from 1996-2002. The Mustangs went from four wins in Foster's first year in 1996-97 to 12 victories in 2000-01. The 12 wins were the most since Cal Poly moved to the Division I level.

Cal Poly advanced to the second round of the Big West Tournament in 2000-01, the deepest the Mustangs have advanced in the tournament in their seven years in the Big West. That same year, Cal Poly ended UC Santa Barbara's 49-game conference winning streak.

In her final season with Cal Poly as Associate Head Coach in charge of team defense, the Mustangs finished first in 3-point field goal percentage defense, third in scoring defense and third in steals.

Her duties at Cal Poly included team defense, working with post players, primary shooting coach, camp clinician, scouting and academic monitoring as well as working with and developing several promotions for the student body and campus community.

Those efforts included the development of the Mustang Kidz Club (a kids club that began with the women's basketball program and was eventually adopted by the athletic department to be made available for every program), the Girls Rock Club, as well as on and off-campus basketball clinics.

Foster also spearheaded the development of a unique relationship with the Special Olympics of San Luis Obispo County where members of the women's basketball team officiated the Special Olympic Basketball Jamboree and the Special Olympic participants attended and played during halftime of home games.

Prior to Cal Poly, Foster also spent a year as an assistant coach at Arizona State of the Pacific-10 Conference.

Her high school experience includes serving as head coach for four seasons at Garden Grove High School in Southern California, leading the school to a Garden Grove League title in 1995.

She also led the junior varsity squad at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., for two seasons, guiding the Monarchs to a league championship in 1991, and spent the summer of 1994 coaching the Orange County California Optimist AAU team to a 18-and-under Southern California Championship.

Foster, a Plainfield, N.J. native, is a 1984 graduate of Big East member Seton Hall where she was a four-year starter on the Pirates' women's basketball squad and was ranked as the No. 4 freshman in the country following her rookie season.

A member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and an accomplished Spoken Word poetry artist, Foster resides in Chino Hills, Calif.