WS Chronicle

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

The Winston-Salem State University Department of Athletics has announced that L’Tona Lamonte has been selected as the 11th head women’s basketball coach in school history.

Lamonte spent last season as assistant head coach at North Carolina Central University, after serving as an assistant coach at Belmont University for the previous two seasons.

Lamonte also spent four seasons at North Carolina State University from 2009 to 2013, where she was the director of basketball operations.

Lamonte has spent a total of 14 years in D1 athletics. Before Belmont and NCSU, Lamonte was an assistant coach at Western Carolina University for five seasons (2004-09) and Georgia Southern University for two years (1999-2001).

While at Belmont, Lamonte was heavily involved with recruiting, scouting, practices, training and community service. Lamonte coached an Ohio Valley Conference preseason player of the year, one all-conference performer, two all-tournament honorees and one OVC All-Newcomer. Belmont won the OVC Eastern Division and played for the OVC championship with Lamonte on the sidelines before earning a bid to the WNIT.

In her time with the NCSU Wolfpack, Lamonte managed the daily operations of the women’s basketball office including fundraising, public relations, community service, marketing, budgeting, travel, compliance and academics. She raised over $50,000 annually to support the Kay Yow Foundation.

Lamonte experienced great success in her five seasons at Western Carolina. The Catamounts had eight all-conference award winners, 13 all-tournament selections, three all-freshmen performers, two tournament MVPs, one defensive player of the year and one freshman of year with Lamonte part of the coaching staff. WCU went on to win three conference championships, made four postseason tournaments and had three 20-plus win seasons including the nation’s top turnaround team one year. Lamonte coached six 1,000 point scorers and helped the Catamounts upset No. 21 Louisville during the 2006-07 season. She also coached NCCU assistant Kendra Eaton at WCU.

Lamonte started her coaching career at Carver High School before taking her first collegiate job at Georgia Southern, where she experienced her first 20-plus win season while with the GSU Eagles. Lamonte also coached at the prep level coaching basketball, softball and cross country at Lexington City Schools for three years, including being named coach of the year in 2004.

Academics have always been important to Lamonte as indicated by her resume. Belmont women’s basketball ranked 18th nationally with a 3.4 GPA last year; she was on a Wolfpack staff that had four Academic All-America performers at N.C. State; and three of her Western Carolina squads earned WBCA Academic Top-25 laurels.

Lamonte grew up in Winston-Salem and stayed local as a two-sport student-athlete at Winston-Salem State University. She is in the NCAA softball history book in five different categories and led the nation in stolen bases her junior season with the Rams.

The sports management major graduated cum laude with her bachelor of science degree in 1999. Lamonte obtained a master’s degree in kinesiology from Georgia Southern in 2003.

Lamonte is married to Donald Lamonte and is the mother of three girls: Tyler, Kamry and Kadence.