LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Stephanie Norman, an assistant coach to Louisville women's basketball coach Jeff Walz, has stepped down after 18 seasons, according to a social media post Monday morning.
Reports from Tempe have said Norman will take an assistant coaching job on Molly Miller's new staff at Arizona State, where Norman played from 1985-88. Norman had interviewed for and was a finalist for the ASU job in 2022.
Norman has been a mainstay for Walz since he arrived in Louisville. On Monday, he said via social media: "It's hard to put into words what Stephanie has meant to me, this program and our players. Her loyalty, wisdom and heart helped build Louisville women's basketball into what it is today. Wishing her nothing but the best on her next chapter — forever grateful."
Norman has had chances at head coaching jobs in her time in Louisville, but has remained on Walz's staff.
"This has never just been a job. It has been my purpose, my home," Norman said in an Instagram post. "I have watched our young women grow not just athletes, but as leaders, teammates and people of character. I have celebrated with them, felt the sting of tough losses, and shared in the moments that make this journey so special — the locker room speeches, the hugs after hard-fought battles, and the overwhelming roar of Card Nation standing behind us."
"While this chapter closes, my love for Louisville will never fade. This is home. It always will be."
Walz has praised Norman and her contributions to the program many times. During a radio program in 2023, he talked about their comfortable working relationship.
"There's not a better person that I can say that I've been around for 17 years," Walz said. "What I appreciate about Steph is she and her husband Jeff and their family have their own life, too. I can honestly say in 17 years, we've probably gone out maybe twice for dinner. Because I'm running around with with my wife and my kids. She's got hers. And it's like we don't need to see each other after work. We have such a great bond and relationship at work. Now at night if I need to call her about recruiting, great, you know, and we've done staff stuff, but I'm just saying individually, she brings a ton of knowledge from the recruiting side of things when I first hired her. She's really good at communicating with the players. It's been great. Steph has been amazing and I hope she'll continue to stay here for as long as is they'll have us here."
Norman was voted the Women's Basketball Coaches Association national assistant coach of the year in 2021.
More from Bozich and Crawford:
'The best is yet to come': Louisville's Kelsey breaks down his Year 2 roster
BOZICH | U of L, UK, IU men, U of L women ranked Top 10 most valuable basketball programs
BOZICH | U of L makes major jump in basketball attendance rankings as UK tops the list
CRAWFORD | Hard work pays off for Burnham Square, who punches Derby ticket with Blue Grass win
'Let's run it back!' | Hadley says he'll stay with Louisville basketball for next season
Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
