University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Basketball
Cassandra Callaway
- Title:
- Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
- Location:
- Champions Center
- E-Mail:
- ccallaway@umass.edu
Cassandra Callaway joined the UMass women's basketball staff as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in Fall 2020. Callaway primarily works with the Minutewomen wings.
"We are very excited to welcome Cassandra to the UMass women's basketball family," head coach Tory Verdi said upon Callaway’s hiring. "Cassandra is one of the top young coaches in our game and helped elevate Eastern Michigan's recruiting during her time there. We are confident that she will bring energy and passion to our program, and we are looking forward to having her join the staff."
"It is a blessing and an honor to join the UMass family," Callaway said. "I am grateful for the opportunity Coach Verdi has provided me to help advance the Minutewomen, and I cannot wait to build onto this great program!"
In Callaway's second season (2021-22) with Massachusetts, the team shattered glass ceilings and broke records, as the program garnered its first Atlantic 10 Championship Title to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament for the first appearance since 1998. On March 5, 2022, UMass topped Saint Joseph’s for Verdi’s 100th win at the helm of Massachusetts to advance to the A-10 Finals. The No. 3-seeded Minutewomen defeated No. 1 seed Dayton in the Title Game to hoist the A-10 trophy. On March 19, 2022, the team made its appearance in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. In addition to a successful postseason, UMass tallied the most wins in program history after finishing 26-7 overall on the year.
Sam Breen, Destiney Philoxy adn Sydney Taylor all collected an abundance of accolades throughout the season, completed by Breen earning the program’s first A-10 Player of the Year honor, plus the league’s All-Conference First Team and All-Academic Team. Taylor joined Breen on the All-Championship Team, as both Taylor and Philoxy were also named to the A-10 All-Conference Second Team.
Callaway’s first season with the Minutewomen was one for the record books, as the year was capped by a historic run to the WNIT–the program’s first postseason appearance since 1998 and first season ever with multiple wins in the postseason. It also marked the first time since ’98 that UMass reached the Atlantic 10 Championship Game.
A plethora of individual accolades rolled into Amherst highlighted by A-10 All-Conference and All-Championship awards dished out to Sam Breen, Destiney Philoxy and Sydney Taylor. Thanks in part to Callaway’s guidance, Taylor enjoyed an exponential improvement–going from a reserve role as a freshman to finishing fifth in the A-10 in scoring average (15.6 ppg).
In 2019-20, Callaway helped lead Eastern Michigan to their most wins under current head coach Fred Castro with a 16-15 record and first winning season since arriving at Eastern Michigan. Season highlights included a five-game win streak, spanning from Dec. 10 through Jan. 8, a road win over MAC West and in-state rival Western Michigan, and a pair of victories over MAC powerhouse, Ball State.
In 2018-19, Callaway was crucial in the improvement of Corrione Cardwell. In her redshirt sophomore season, Cardwell proved to be Eastern's most consistent player as the only Eagle to start all 31 games. With the guidance of Callaway, Cardwell improved her scoring average by nearly 10 points, 3.7 to 13.0, and more than doubled her rebounding average (1.7 to 4.2).
Callaway helped in the development of EMU's guards during the 2017-18 campaign, most notably coaching Danielle Minott and Courtnie Lewis to All-MAC honors. Minott, after rewriting the single-game record book, landed on the All-MAC Third Team, while Lewis put together one of the greatest freshman campaigns in program history. Lewis scored the second-most points by a freshman Eagle en route to All-MAC Honorable Mention and MAC All-Freshmen honors, while also finishing top-10 nationally in scoring among freshmen.
Prior to joining Eastern Michigan's staff, Callaway served as an assistant coach at Saint Anthony's High School in Jersey City, N.J. There, she worked primarily with the guards, while also assisting with practice plans and various other responsibilities. Prior to her stint at Saint Anthony's, Callaway spent a season as a volunteer coach at Malcolm X Shabazz High School in Newark, N.J. In her lone season at Malcolm X Shabazz, Callaway created, developed, and implemented player workouts, oversaw game statistics, and assisted with practice plans.
A solid player at the University of Albany, she helped the Great Danes improve in every season culminating with the program's first NCAA Tournament berth in 2011-12. Overall, UA doubled its win total from her sophomore to senior seasons to finish with 50 victories in the three-year span. She finished her Albany career with 625 points, 116 assists, 81 steals and 44 starts.
During her senior season, Callaway averaged 10.8 points per game and shot a team-best 80.3 percent from the free throw line. The team went undefeated on the road during the America East Conference slate to post a 14-2 conference record. In the AE Tournament, Callaway collected all-tournament team accolades, after netting 23 points in the title game, while also handing out six assists.
In 2010-11, Callaway helped the Great Danes posted their first winning season since becoming a Division I program in 1999. She averaged 10.0 points per game while adding 42 steals and 39 assists.
Callaway began her collegiate career in 2008-09 at Daytona State College where she led the squad to a 20-9 record. An All-Mid-Florida Conference first-team selection after netting 12.2 points per game, her team was ranked in the top-10 of the Florida Community College Activities Association women's basketball coaches' poll.
Callaway graduated with a bachelor's degree in the arts and sciences, communication and rhetoric, and a minor in business administration.
"We are very excited to welcome Cassandra to the UMass women's basketball family," head coach Tory Verdi said upon Callaway’s hiring. "Cassandra is one of the top young coaches in our game and helped elevate Eastern Michigan's recruiting during her time there. We are confident that she will bring energy and passion to our program, and we are looking forward to having her join the staff."
"It is a blessing and an honor to join the UMass family," Callaway said. "I am grateful for the opportunity Coach Verdi has provided me to help advance the Minutewomen, and I cannot wait to build onto this great program!"
In Callaway's second season (2021-22) with Massachusetts, the team shattered glass ceilings and broke records, as the program garnered its first Atlantic 10 Championship Title to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament for the first appearance since 1998. On March 5, 2022, UMass topped Saint Joseph’s for Verdi’s 100th win at the helm of Massachusetts to advance to the A-10 Finals. The No. 3-seeded Minutewomen defeated No. 1 seed Dayton in the Title Game to hoist the A-10 trophy. On March 19, 2022, the team made its appearance in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. In addition to a successful postseason, UMass tallied the most wins in program history after finishing 26-7 overall on the year.
Sam Breen, Destiney Philoxy adn Sydney Taylor all collected an abundance of accolades throughout the season, completed by Breen earning the program’s first A-10 Player of the Year honor, plus the league’s All-Conference First Team and All-Academic Team. Taylor joined Breen on the All-Championship Team, as both Taylor and Philoxy were also named to the A-10 All-Conference Second Team.
Callaway’s first season with the Minutewomen was one for the record books, as the year was capped by a historic run to the WNIT–the program’s first postseason appearance since 1998 and first season ever with multiple wins in the postseason. It also marked the first time since ’98 that UMass reached the Atlantic 10 Championship Game.
A plethora of individual accolades rolled into Amherst highlighted by A-10 All-Conference and All-Championship awards dished out to Sam Breen, Destiney Philoxy and Sydney Taylor. Thanks in part to Callaway’s guidance, Taylor enjoyed an exponential improvement–going from a reserve role as a freshman to finishing fifth in the A-10 in scoring average (15.6 ppg).
In 2019-20, Callaway helped lead Eastern Michigan to their most wins under current head coach Fred Castro with a 16-15 record and first winning season since arriving at Eastern Michigan. Season highlights included a five-game win streak, spanning from Dec. 10 through Jan. 8, a road win over MAC West and in-state rival Western Michigan, and a pair of victories over MAC powerhouse, Ball State.
In 2018-19, Callaway was crucial in the improvement of Corrione Cardwell. In her redshirt sophomore season, Cardwell proved to be Eastern's most consistent player as the only Eagle to start all 31 games. With the guidance of Callaway, Cardwell improved her scoring average by nearly 10 points, 3.7 to 13.0, and more than doubled her rebounding average (1.7 to 4.2).
Callaway helped in the development of EMU's guards during the 2017-18 campaign, most notably coaching Danielle Minott and Courtnie Lewis to All-MAC honors. Minott, after rewriting the single-game record book, landed on the All-MAC Third Team, while Lewis put together one of the greatest freshman campaigns in program history. Lewis scored the second-most points by a freshman Eagle en route to All-MAC Honorable Mention and MAC All-Freshmen honors, while also finishing top-10 nationally in scoring among freshmen.
Prior to joining Eastern Michigan's staff, Callaway served as an assistant coach at Saint Anthony's High School in Jersey City, N.J. There, she worked primarily with the guards, while also assisting with practice plans and various other responsibilities. Prior to her stint at Saint Anthony's, Callaway spent a season as a volunteer coach at Malcolm X Shabazz High School in Newark, N.J. In her lone season at Malcolm X Shabazz, Callaway created, developed, and implemented player workouts, oversaw game statistics, and assisted with practice plans.
A solid player at the University of Albany, she helped the Great Danes improve in every season culminating with the program's first NCAA Tournament berth in 2011-12. Overall, UA doubled its win total from her sophomore to senior seasons to finish with 50 victories in the three-year span. She finished her Albany career with 625 points, 116 assists, 81 steals and 44 starts.
During her senior season, Callaway averaged 10.8 points per game and shot a team-best 80.3 percent from the free throw line. The team went undefeated on the road during the America East Conference slate to post a 14-2 conference record. In the AE Tournament, Callaway collected all-tournament team accolades, after netting 23 points in the title game, while also handing out six assists.
In 2010-11, Callaway helped the Great Danes posted their first winning season since becoming a Division I program in 1999. She averaged 10.0 points per game while adding 42 steals and 39 assists.
Callaway began her collegiate career in 2008-09 at Daytona State College where she led the squad to a 20-9 record. An All-Mid-Florida Conference first-team selection after netting 12.2 points per game, her team was ranked in the top-10 of the Florida Community College Activities Association women's basketball coaches' poll.
Callaway graduated with a bachelor's degree in the arts and sciences, communication and rhetoric, and a minor in business administration.
Coach Leflar on HUGE jump from year 1 to 2.
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Plant the Flag with UMass WBB Coach Mike Leflar
Monday, September 29
Plant the Flag with UMass WBB Coach Mike Leflar
Monday, September 29
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Thursday, March 20
