News

Former Musketeer joins women’s basketball coaching staff

Nicole Like named director of women’s basketball operations at Xavier

07/25/03

Former Xavier women's basketball player Nicole Like is returning to her home team as director of basketball operations for the 2003-2004 season. With this title, Like takes on administrative responsibilities, such as arranging team travel and coordinating team community service efforts. A 1995 graduate, Like played four years of Musketeers basketball, starting 63 of her 83 career games. She averaged 5.5 points and 3.2 assists per game, and her 262 career assists rank 10th in the team’s history. “I’m very excited about having Nicole come back to Xavier,” says Kevin McGuff, Xavier women’s basketball head coach. “She’s got a wide range of experience that she is bringing our staff. I know she’s excited to be back here, and I know she’ll do a great job.” A three-time member of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference All-Academic Team, Like was named to the GTE Academic All-America Team in 1994. She also won the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award from the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Women’s Sports Association for successfully returning to the game after two knee surgeries. After graduating from Xavier, Like spent a year working as the first female member of the Cincinnati Reds grounds crew. A certified athletic trainer, Like had three separate clinical affiliations after working as a student trainer at Xavier. She also worked for four seasons as assistant girls’ basketball coach at Cincinnati‘s Milford High School. Most recently Like served as an assistant coach to former Musketeer assistant Maria Fantanarosa at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, before deciding to return to her alma mater.