Brandi Walker Named WBB Strength Coach
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami head women’s basketball coach Katie Meier announced Monday the hiring of Brandi Walker as the team’s strength & conditioning coach.
Walker joins the Hurricanes after nearly seven years on staff at George Washington University.
“When this position opened up, we set a goal to hire an expert,” Meier said. “We wanted someone who would elevate this team and streamline the strength & conditioning program with our top-notch sports medicine and injury prevention protocols. Brandi has an incredible background and is a terrific fit for our culture here at The U. She is not only committed to the student-athlete experience, but is constantly learning and innovating.”
Walker spent the past six years as an assistant strength & conditioning coach at GW, working with women’s basketball, women’s gymnastics, women’s volleyball, men’s track and men’s rowing.
Over her final five seasons at GW, Walker aided the women’s basketball team to a 117-46 (.718) record with a 62-18 (.775) mark in A-10 play, including a 29-4 (15-1) ledger in 2014-15. The Colonials earned five postseason berths, three NCAA Tournament trips, four 20-wins seasons, three A-10 Tournament championships and two A-10 regular season titles during that stretch.
Walker developed basketball-specific strength training and conditioning methods for the Colonials, as well as managed the team’s recovery modalities and nutrition planning.
Along with helping the women’s gymnastics team to a 2015 league championship, Walker oversaw the nutrition department and supervised both interns and graduate assistants. She also served as the interim director of sports performance.
“I would like to thank Coach Meier, [Deputy AD] Jennifer Strawley and the entire women’s basketball staff for allowing me to be part of this program,” Walker said. “I am extremely blessed and grateful to have the opportunity.”
Walker began her career in August 2011 as a graduate assistant at GW. She led the strength and conditioning efforts for men’s and women’s swimming, women’s gymnastics, women’s rowing, men’s and women’s cross country and men’s squash.
While in that role, she also assisted with the men’s and women’s basketball teams before being promoted in June 2012.
A National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist since September 2009 and a USA Weightlifting Level 1 Sports Performance Coach since April 2012, Walker added an American Heart Association CPR, First Aid and AED certification in June 2015.
“The passion and enthusiasm that Coach Meier and her staff display are huge motivators for me,” Walker said. “I am looking forward to working with this group of young women to help them achieve their goals on and off the court. The ACC is a phenomenal basketball conference and the opportunity to prepare student-athletes to compete and excel in this league and on a national stage is exciting.”
A native of Glenarden, Md., Walker graduated from Towson University in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and exercise science. She earned a master’s degree in exercise science and strength & conditioning from GW in 2012.
In addition, Walker is currently pursuing a doctorate in health and human performance from Concordia University Chicago.
To keep up with the University of Miami women’s basketball team on social media, follow @CanesWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
