San Diego Athletics

Cindy Fisher was named the University of San Diego head women's basketball coach on April 19, 2005. 

Coach Fisher (20 seasons), guided the Toreros to six 20-win seasons in the past 12 years. In that 12 year span, USD recorded a .620 win percentage. Fisher ended her tenure at San Diego with a 346-270 career record. 

The 2022-23 season marked a return to the WNIT Super 16, as the Toreros finished 19-14 overall under Coach Fisher. The Toreros were paced by Ayanna Khalfani, who earned WCC Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors, marking the fourth player under Fisher and the second consecutive season with a Torero winning the award. Khalfani (All-WCC Second Team), Kiera Oakry (Second Team), Kasey Neubert (Honorable Mention) and Veronica Sheffey (All-Freshman Team) earned awards under Fisher. San Diego would earn back-to-back home wins in the WNIT over Long Beach State and UC Irvine, before falling to Oregon. 

Fisher helped to guide the 2021-22 side back to the WNIT, where they advanced to the second round as part of a 17-15 campaign. Jordyn Edwards was named the WCC Defensive Player of the Year and Sydney Hunter was tabbed to the All-WCC FIrst Team to lead a Toreros squad that bounced back from an injury to star player Myah Pace early in the season. 

Fisher guided the Toreros through a re-tooling of the roster in 2019-20, advancing to the WCC Championship. San Diego garnered an 11-game improvement from 2018-19 as Fisher was named the WCC Coach of the Year for the third time in her tenure. She coached All-WCC first team selection and All-Tournament team honoree, Myah Pace, to become the all-time single season steals leader at USD. The Toreros earned an automatic bid to the WNIT after falling to Portland in overtime, which was later canceled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

Fisher helped guide the Toreros to a bounce back season in 2017-18, going 17-15 and finishing one win away from the NCAA Tournament. The Toreros knocked off BYU (61-56) and Pacific (66-56) to advance to the WCC Tournament championship game before falling to No. 1 seed Gonzaga (79-71). 

In her 11th season at the helm of the program, Fisher helped guide USD to its fifth consecutive 20-win season in 2015-16. Under her tutelage, USD posted the second most wins in program history at 25-8. The Toreros also made their fifth consecutive appearance in the WNIT, advancing to the Super 16 for the third time in program history. 

In her 10th year in charge of the Torero women's basketball program, Coach Fisher led USD to another 20-win season, posting a 25-7 overall record and finishing second in the WCC at 14-4, en route to its fourth consecutive trip to the WNIT. USD managed to secure a pair of home postseason games, defeating Long Beach State in the first round, before losing to eventual WNIT champions UCLA in round two. Along the way, Fisher helped guide Sophia Ederaine to the WCC Defensive Player of the Year award, as the senior forward led the nation in blocked shots with 152. The mark also broke a 22-year old single-season record at USD. Ederaine was the first Torero to win the WCC's Defensive Player of the Year distinction. Under Fisher's leadership, the senior class was able to graduate with an overall four-year mark of 97-25. 

During the 2013-14 season, Fisher helped lead USD to an overall record of 24-9, and reached the Super 16 round of the WNIT for the second time in three years. USD opened the season with a perfect 15-0 record, which led to the program's fist-ever national ranking of No. 24 in both the Associated Press and Coaches Poll. The 15-0 start was not only the best in program history, but was the best of any athletic team at USD in the D-I era. The WNIT appearance marked the first time in program history that USD has made three consecutive postseason appearances. Under Fisher, the Toreros had three players take home All-WCC honors, highlighted by first-teamer Amy Kame. 

In her eighth season at the helm of the program in 2012-13, Fisher managed to do something no other coach in the history of the program had done before, as the Toreros posted a second consecutive 20-win season. USD finished with an overall record of 22-10, good for the second most wins in program history at the time, and reached the second round of the WNIT. USD also had a 12-4 mark in the WCC, to finish in second in the conference, and San Diego managed to reach the championship game of the WCC Tournament. This marked only the second time in program history that USD has made back-to-back postseason appearances, and both times have come under the watchful eye of Cindy Fisher. USD did all of this despite losing a pair of 1,000-point scorers and the team's leading rebounder from the previous season's record-setting team. Under coach Fisher's tutelage, the Toreros produced the WCC Freshman of the Year in Maya Hood, and had three total players earn All-WCC honors, highlighted by first-teamer Amy Kame.

The 2011-12 season was a historic one for the Toreros, and is regarded as the greatest season in program history. Under Fisher's guidance, the Toreros soared to new heights. USD posted a program best 26-9 overall record, a 12-4 mark in WCC play (the most wins in WCC play in program history) and the program's first ever postseason win. The Toreros would go on a historic run in the WNIT, advancing all the way to the Fab Four, before falling to the eventual champion, Oklahoma State. Dominique Conners became the program's all-time leading scorer and earned first-team All-WCC honors along with Morgan Woodrow. Amy Kame also took home All-WCC honorable mention accolades.

In the 2010-11 season, Cindy Fisher led the Toreros on an impressive run through the West Coast Conference Tournament, winning two games in two days to advance to the semifinal against WCC runner-up Saint Mary's. The Toreros then nearly pulled off of a third straight victory to make the championship game, but a last second shot fell just short, which ended USD's season. Under Fisher's tutelage, both Sam Child and Dominique Conners earned All-WCC accolades, and Child was named to the WCC All-Tournament team. 

In her fourth season, Fisher once again had her team playing its best at the right time of the season, as the Toreros had an unprecedented run in the WCC championships, winning three games in three days to reach the championship game for the second time in as many years. The Toreros had three players tabbed to the All-WCC ledger and Dominique Conners was the lone freshman named to the WCC All-Tournament team. 

In her third season at the helm of the program, she guided the Toreros back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight years. The 2007-08 season also marked back-to-back postseason appearances for the Toreros under Fisher's watch. Fisher helped lead USD to a 19-12 overall record and a West Coast Conference Tournament championship. She helped guide three players to All-WCC honors, with Amanda Rego and Amber Sprague each earning first team honors and Sam Child being selected to the All-WCC freshman team. 

In only her second season at the helm of the program, Cindy Fisher orchestrated the biggest turn around in school history, a 12-game improvement from 9-19 in the 2005-06 season to a 21-9 record in 2006-07 season. The turnaround was the fourth-best in the nation. USD set several records along the way, including their first-ever 20-win season in program history. Under her tutelage, the Toreros placed three players on the All-WCC lists, highlighted by Amanda Rego being named the WCC Co-Player of the Year. Rego and Amber Sprague both took home first-team All-WCC honors and Morgan Henderson was named to the All-WCC Freshman team. For her efforts, Fisher was named the 2007 WCC Co-Coach of the Year. 

During her first season at USD, the Toreros showed remarkable improvement. The Toreros recorded a 15-point win over Santa Clara on the road and were close in games against Georgia Tech, Boise State and against Loyola Marymount in the first round of the WCC Championship Tournament. Fisher also helped guide Tiara Harris to an All-WCC selection and Kelly Winther to an All-WCC Freshman team selection. 

Before coming to USD, Fisher was the University of Nebraska's top assistant for two seasons, and the head coach for Wyoming between 1998-2003. She became USD's third head coach dating back to the program's inception in 1978-79. Fisher took over for Kathy Marpe, who stepped down after directing the program for 25 years. 

Fisher helped lead Nebraska to back-to-back appearances in the WNIT during her two seasons with the Huskers. In 2004-05, the team finished 18-14 overall and 8-8 in the Big 12. The Huskers recorded the program's first win over a top-5 team with its 103-99 victory over eventual NCAA National Champion, Baylor, in January of 2005. They also posted Big 12 wins over No. 14 Iowa State and Oklahoma, both NCAA Tournament participants. Fisher recruited and coached Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Jelena Spiric, and recruited and developed post player, Danielle Page, who earned Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors twice. Fisher's final recruiting class at Nebraska might have been her best, as she went deep into Alaska to find, recruit, and sign Big 12 Player of the Year and WNBA first round draft pick Kelsey Griffin. 

During the 2003-04 campaign, the Huskers finished 18-12 overall, and produced one of the top-10 turnarounds in NCAA Division I women's basketball with 10 more victories. The team earned two wins over top-25 teams and cracked the top-25 national rankings for the first time since 1999. In addition, Nebraska's 2004 recruiting class was ranked 28th nationally. 

In five seasons as the head coach at Wyoming, Cindy Fisher compiled a 59-81 record. However, Fisher's accomplishments at Wyoming go well beyond her overall coaching record. Cindy Fisher's Cowgirl teams showed improvement in each of her five seasons, culminating with an 18-12 mark in 2002-03. The 18 wins were the school's most victories since 1989-90. She also led the Cowgirls to their first postseason appearance since 1989-90 with a trip to the 2003 WNIT, where Wyoming notched a first-round win over Montana. The WNIT win over Montana marked the first postseason victory in Wyoming women's basketball history. Her 2001-2002 team at Wyoming finished No. 1 in the country in academic excellence with a team GPA of 3.486. 

Before taking the job at Wyoming, Cindy Fisher spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Old Dominion. She served as the Monarchs' recruiting coordinator and scheduling coordinator and prepared scouting reports, while also acting as the team's public relations liaison. During her three-year stint, ODU compiled a 92-8 record, including a 34-win season and a pair of 29-win seasons. Old Dominion advanced to the NCAA national title game in 1997, and qualified for the Sweet 16 in each of her three seasons. Fisher also built up her coaching resume with stops at Weber State (1994-95), Mesa CC in Arizona (1988-90; 1993-94), and Illinois State (1992-93; graduate assistant, 1990-92). 

From Cheyenne, Wyoming, Cindy Fisher was a three-year starter at Cheyenne Central High School, before competing at Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington. Her career was cut short by a hip injury, but she earned her associate's degree in 1984. She transferred to Arizona State and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education with an emphasis in Exercise Physiology in 1988. 

After graduation, she served as a physical education instructor at Mesa Community College from 1988 to 1990, before completing her Master's Degree in Physical Education with an emphasis in Administration of Sport at Illinois State in 1992.
 

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THE CINDY FISHER FILE
PERSONAL INFORMATION

Hometown: Cheyenne, Wyo.
Education: Bachelor of Physical Education - Arizona State, 1988, Master's in Physical Education - Illinois State, 1992
Family: Married to Aubrey Eblin and has two sons Rocco and Ryder

COACHING EXPERIENCE

» 2005-25: San Diego, Head Coach
» 2003-05: Nebraska, Assistant Coach
» 1998-03: Wyoming, Head Coach
» 1995-98: Old Dominion, Assistant Coach
» 1994-95: Weber State, Assistant Coach

USD HIGHLIGHTS
» Led the Toreros to nine postseason appearances
» Three-time WCC Coach of the Year (2006-07, 2011-12, & 2019-20)
» Coached 26 All-WCC honorees
» Had nine players named to WCC All-Freshman Team
» Coached one WCC Player of the Year (Amanda Rego, 2006-07)
» Had four players named WCC Defender of the Year
» Coached one WCC Newcomer of the Year (Maya Hood, 2012-13)
» Had 32 WCC All-Academic honorees

HEAD COACHING RECORD

Year	Team	Record	Postseason
1998-99	Wyoming	7-19
1999-00	Wyoming	10-18
2000-01	Wyoming	11-17
2001-02	Wyoming	13-15
2002-03	Wyoming	18-12	1-1 (WNIT)
2005-06	San Diego	9-19
2006-07	San Diego	21-19	0-1 (WNIT)
2007-08	San Diego	19-13	0-1 (NCAA)
2008-09	San Diego	19-13
2009-10	San Diego	15-14
2010-11	San Diego	17-14
2011-12	San Diego	26-9	4-1 (WNIT)
2012-13	San Diego	22-10	1-1 (WNIT)
2013-14	San Diego	24-9	2-1 (WNIT)
2014-15	San Diego	25-7	1-1 (WNIT)
2015-16	San Diego	25-8	2-1 (WNIT)
2016-17	San Diego	14-16
2017-18	San Diego	17-15
2018-19	San Diego	9-21
2019-20	San Diego	20-11	WNIT qualifier*
2020-21	San Diego	12-7
2021-22	San Diego	17-15	1-1 (WNIT)
2022-23	San Diego	19-14	2-1 (WNIT)
Totals (Career)		405-351	14-10 (Total)
at Wyoming (1998 - 2003)		59-81	1-1 (WNIT)
at San Diego (2005 - Present)		346-270	13-9 (Total)