Dan and Mary hughes

Dan hughes, former 2x wnba champion head coach

Dan joined The Basketball Embassy’s advisory board in May 2022. Hughes is a two-time WNBA Champion and Gold Medal-winning coach. Hughes is the only coach in WNBA history to take four different franchises to the playoffs and advance all four teams, with a record of 281-311 (.475), good for the third-most wins all-time in the league. He was twice named WNBA Coach of the Year, first in 2001, after guiding the Cleveland Rockers to a 22-10 mark, and again in 2007, after posting a 20-14 record with San Antonio.

Hughes spent 12 years as the head coach and general manager for San Antonio from 2005-16, guiding the Stars to seven postseason appearances. Prior to San Antonio, he led the Cleveland Rockers from 2000-03, and was elevated to head coach in Charlotte midway through the 1999 season, posting a 10-10 record for the Sting. With those four franchises, Hughes’s teams made 15 playoff appearances in 20 total seasons.

Hughes also served as a head coach at the 2009 and 2018 WNBA All-Star Games.

Hughes’s leadership is evidenced by his extensive head coaching tree that has seven of the 12 WNBA Head Coaches from the Hughes coaching tree: Chicago’s James Wade, who began his WNBA career on Hughes’ San Antonio staff from 2012-16; Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve, who worked with Hughes in Cleveland ; Dallas’ Vickie Johnson and Phoenix's Vanessa Nygaard was on Hughes's San Antonio staff and New York's Sandy Brondello, served on his staff in San Antonio from 2005-09. Many of his former players have also gone on to coach in the professional ranks including Becky Hammon, former assistant assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs and presently the Head Coach for the Las Vegas Aces.

Hughes, who served on the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee from 2009-16, was an assistant coach from 2016-2021including the 2018 USA Basketball Women’s National Team that won gold at the FIBA Women’s World Cup. In 2019, his former point guard and current USA Women’s Basketball National Team head coach Dawn Staley selected Hughes to serve as an assistant coach for the 2020 Olympic Games calumniating in a Gold Medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Prior to the WNBA, he served as the assistant coach for the University of Toledo’s women’s basketball program (1996-97) and men’s basketball program (1991-96). During his tenure with the Rockets’ women’s hoops team, Toledo posted a 27-4 record, winning the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship and notching an NCAA Tournament appearance. Hughes also served assistant coaching roles with the men’s basketball teams at Mount Union College (1982-84 and 1985-91) and Baldwin-Wallace College (1984-85) as well as beginning his career as a Head High School Coach.

During the 1977-78 campaign, Hughes served as a graduate assistant at Miami of Ohio, helping the RedHawks to a MAC Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Regionals.

In 1977, Hughes graduated with a degree in physical education and history from Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio. He went on to collect a Master’s Degree in education from Miami University of Ohio in 1978.

In 2019 Hughes received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Muskingum University.

Hughes and his wife, Mary, have two children, 2nd Lt. Bryce and Sara; son-in-law Lt. Col. Craig Bayer; and grandkids Logan, Jonah, Casey and Penny.

Mary Hughes, Former educator and teacher of the year

A 1978 graduate of Muskingum University with degree in Music and Mount Union in Elementary Education. A lifetime educator, Mary taught 23 years, including Teacher of the Year honors. As a Coach's wife, she and Coach Dan Hughes raised two children, Sara and Bryce, both Division 1 athletes in Volleyball and Basketball. An active volunteer, Mary continues to mentor throughout her life.