Poppie announces a trio of coaching staff hires

by CU Athletic Communications - Wed Apr 10 07:58:18 GMT-04:00 2024

CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson women’s basketball head coach Shawn Poppie announced a trio of additions to his coaching staff on Tuesday.

Joining Poppie at Clemson will be assistant coaches Jonathan Goldberg, Katelyn Grisillo, and Jayda Worthy, all of whom are coming to the upstate following time on Poppie’s staff at Chattanooga.

JON GOLDBERG

Title: Director of Player Development and Recruiting/Assistant Coach

Hometown: Stowe, Vt.

Alma Mater: Emerson College

Coaching Career:

2014-16: Chattanooga, Graduate Assistant

2016-17: Chattanooga, Director of Student-Athlete Development

2018-24: Assistant Coach

During his ten years on staff with the Mocs, Chattanooga was crowned Southern Conference champions on four different occasions and advanced to the Women’s NIT twice. He was crucial in the recruitment and development of several all-conference players including Abbey Cornelius, Ebonie Williams, Yazz Wazeerud-Din, and Raven Thompson.

Playing Career: Nominated team captain by his teammates prior to his junior season. During his time with the Lions, Goldberg was the team leader in minutes played, rebounds, free-throw percentage, and was second on the team in points and steals per game. He was named to the First Team All-Conference and was the winner of Emerson’s Male Athlete of the Year and Student-Athlete of the Year.

Poppie’s Thoughts: Jon Goldberg is and will be a big asset to our program. His ability to connect and develop young woman is top notch. Jon spent the past two season working with a variety of positions which speaks to his versatility. He will make a difference not only developing our young women on and off the court but overseeing our recruiting operations as well.

KATELYN GRISILLO

Title: Assistant Coach

Hometown: Charleston, S.C.

Alma Mater: USC-Aiken

Coaching Career:

2016-2018: Wingate, Graduate Assistant

2018-2022: Wingate, Assistant Coach

2022-2024: Chattanooga, Assistant Coach

Spent the most recent two seasons at Chattanooga as an assistant under Coach Poppie. As a coach for the Mocs, Grisillo helped coach Yazz Wazeerud-Din and Raven Thompson SoCon All-Conference selections and the Mocs won two SoCon tournaments, clinching a spot in the NCAA Tournament both seasons.

Before moving to Chattanooga, Grisillo spent five seasons at Division II Wingate where she spent three seasons as an assistant coach and two seasons as a graduate assistant. In those five seasons, Wingate advanced to three NCAA Tournaments and won the conference title in 2017. She

Playing Career: Started her playing career at Presbyterian where she played in 26 games and shot 42.9 percent from the floor. She later transferred to USC – Aiken where she played in 45 games and started in 22.

Poppie’s Thoughts: I am thrilled to be adding Katelyn Grisillo to my staff here at Clemson. Katelyn is a young and upcoming coach in this business who works tirelessly to make sure she uplifts our student-athletes. She spent the past two seasons working with our point guards at Chattanooga while also cultivating numerous relationships on the recruiting trail. Katelyn will continue to push our program forward with her infectious energy.

JAYDA WORTHY

Title: Director of Player Personnel/Assistant Coach

Hometown: Toledo, Ohio

Alma Mater: Radford

Coaching Career:

2020-22: Radford, Assistant Coach

2022-24: Chattanooga, Assistant Coach

Most recently spent two years at Chattanooga where she oversaw the coaching and development of post players. Under her tutelage, Raven Thompson was named Southern Conference Freshman of the Year and was also selected as the SoCon Tournament MVP.

Prior to her two-year stint with the Mocs, Worthy was an assistant coach at her alma mater from 2020-22 where she coached post players and assisted with scouting and recruiting.

Playing Career: Worthy was a two-time all-conference selection at Radford. In 2020, she was named to the 2010-19 Big South All-Decade Team. Was named the 2017-18 Big South Defensive Player of the Year.

Poppie’s Thoughts: “I’m excited for Jayda Worthy to be joining our staff. I coached against Jayda as a player and as a coach during her time at Radford. Jayda is a coach who relates very well to student athletes as she pours her time and energy into their development. She joined my staff at Chattanooga two years ago while helping develop our post players as well as being our academic liaison. Jayda is a rising star in this business and will continue to strengthen our staff here at Clemson.”