ECU Athletics Hall of Famer Returns to Alma Mater
June 23, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Gaynor O'Donnell-Hammond Takes Over as Director of Women's Basketball Operations
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Gaynor O'Donnell-Hammond has been hired as director of women's basketball operations at East Carolina University according to an announcement by Head Coach Heather Macy.
Under her maiden name O'Donnell, she starred as a point guard for the Pirates from 1989-93 and was inducted into the ECU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.
"It's not every day you get to bring back one of the greatest players in our program's history," Macy said. "Part of being a Pirate is having the ability to think outside the box and Gaynor is a high-character person with a unique blend of basketball understanding and organizational skills."
A Merseyside, England native, O'Donnell-Hammond led the team in assists all four years on the way to becoming the program's all-time leader with 833 – a total that still ranks first in the school's record book. Her 20 assists against UNC Asheville on Dec. 13, 1992 remain No. 1 on ECU's single-game chart, while her 300 helpers during her senior campaign still stand as the single-season standard in program history. Her average of 10.8 per game that year ranked first nationally.
"It's an honor and privilege to return to ECU, my alma mater," O'Donnell-Hammond said. "I'm excited to join Coach Macy, her staff and the Pirates as I come back to the place that inspired me to be the woman I am today and the place I call home, Pirate Nation."
O'Donnell-Hammond has 20 years of experience as a high school teacher and administrator, 13 of which have been in a school principal role at Midway High School, Midway Elementary School and Plain View Elementary School l in Dunn, N.C. Her leadership spearheaded the elementary school's renewal process, improving attendance, parental involvement, student empowerment and achievement during her tenure. She also has seven years of experience as a high school varsity girls' basketball coach.
O'Donnell-Hammond attended Southern Wayne High School in Goldsboro where she was the Mid-Eastern 4A Player-of-the-Year in 1989. She earned a bachelor's degree in health and physical education at East Carolina in 1994 and completed a master's degree in educational administration at NC State in 2003.
